


One step backwards and Three forwards

by CryingOriole



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aggressive Befriending, Bee Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Butterfly Luka Couffaine, Cat Felix Agreste, Fox Kagami Tsurugi, Hawkmoth wins, High road what high road, Identity Reveal, Kwami Swap, Luka Couffaine Protection Squad, Multi, Nervous Nooroo, Poor Plagg, Post-Defeat AU, Terrifying Tikki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:40:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 93,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27845407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CryingOriole/pseuds/CryingOriole
Summary: Hawkmoth won. Ladybug lost.Well, at least, that's how it was supposed to go, but then, SOMEBODY broke the system.Oh, Hawkmoth and his minions still got their wishes.... They just wish they hadn't.
Relationships: Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Felix Agreste
Comments: 582
Kudos: 605





	1. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawkmoth wins, TIkki takes offense and Plagg is mostly just here for the show.

Hawkmoth won.

It took a few seconds for Gabriel to truly understand what it meant, as Cobra, the wielder of the snake miraculous, strode confidently towards him, her raised hand over his slowly opening and letting the Cat ring and Ladybug earrings wall into his waiting palm.

"Here you have it, boss!" The girl chirped, looking proud of her handiwork.

He ignored her, slowly, almost reverently looking at the items, before putting the ring on his finger, the metal glinting almost ominously right next to Amelie’s ring. From the ring, a cat-like creature emerged, its body pitch black and its too-green eyes looking at him unnervingly. The cat gave a lazy glance around but, despite its relaxed posture, the man could see something ancient, cold and dark lurking behind those irises.

"Huh. So this happened. Should have expected traitors." The feline creature shrugged, looking around as multiple people, including Mayura, visibly shrank. "Guess we’ll see what happens, then." He commented, his smirk widening to inhuman sizes, razor-like teeth peeking out.

"You don't seem that upset at being captured." Gabriel noted. Nooroo, as timid as he was, put in more of a fight, which was concerning, considering what he knew of the Black Cat.

"Been there, done that." The cat waved dismissively. "And hey, people like you never think too hard about their wishes, so really, I just have to wait for the kid to get me back and enjoy the show in the meantime." The creature's green eyes pinned him indifferently, as if he was but a mere bug, causing shivers to creep along his spine. So this was the kwami of destruction... Gabriel idly wondered how Chat Noir, that incompetent child, could even bear to be in the kwami's presence.

" That's 'cause I actually like the kid, can't have him running in terror at the idea of what he's playing with now, can I?" The can answered in a lackadaisical manner, floating around and making (terrifying) faces at the people surrounding him while Gabriel was putting on the earrings.

The Ladybug kwami's colors were just that bit off. Almost too bright to look at as she smiled widely, eyes closed. 

"Hawkmoth. I would say this was a pleasure to meet you, but that would be a lie." She giggled, sparkles accompanying her every moment. Then her head turned, and her giggle took a hysterical edge, the sound that should have been sweet instead reminiscent of chalk and nails on a board.

"Really takes you back, huh, sugarcube?" The cat commented as the ladybug was visibly trying to set his collaborators on fire with her mind. “But hey, at least pigtails wasn't burnt to death, this time."

" _Let them_ **_try_ **." The ladybug wasn't smiling anymore and she floated back towards Gabriel, who felt his hackles rise as her gaze. It was as if she looked through him, judged his entire existence, and found him wanting.

"Let's not waste any more time. Considering the state you left our chosen wielders in, there is no chance of them getting us back." The kwami began with a no-nonsense tone. "Make your wish, but do keep in mind, that you _will_ regret making it."

That was ... odd. Gabriel didn't know if this was the kwami's last ditch attempt to dissuade him from making his wish, but he shook his head and began the incantation.

The miraculous began sparkling, red for the ladybug, and black for the black cat, and two streams of light began circling around Hawkmoth, whose expression was slowly, but surely, turning into one of triumph. Then, he opened his mouth once more.

"Let those who followed me in my quest have their wish." He said, feeling magnanimous as he could almost _feel_ Emilie coming back." As for my own! Kwami of the Black cat, Kwami of the ladybug, Grant me mine and let me turn back the hands of time to undo my mistake!"

The two kwamis were rising higher, their expression eerily still, until they began speaking.

"May you get _exactly_ what you wish for." The Ladybug said, her voice echoing slightly.

"And may you _choke_ on it." The Cat added, sniggering.

A column of light burst from the ground, flooding the room in a sickening mix of red and black, before growing ever more.

* * *

  
  


Ladybug lost.

Marinette was laying down, her back on the grass, eyes looking at the incandescent skies of the summer sunset. She was covered in scrapes and her everything hurt, but none of this mattered.

She had lost. She should have seen it coming, but the way she did made it hurt even more. Tikki...

She sobbed, her eyes burning.

"Tikki... I'm so sorry..." 

She wasn't the right person for the job. She always knew, she should have made sure Al- **_No._ **

Another person she failed came to mind. Her partner... Was he alright? All alone, facing everyone else...! She felt a jolt coming from her ribs and her head throbbed as she struggled to get up, but her efforts were ultimately in vain as she found herself with a face full of warmth and fabric, someone's chest, probably, who was trying to push her down, back to her initial lying position.

"Noooo..." She moaned, blinking to try and get rid of the light spots flooding her vision. "Let me gooo Chat...Chat needs help..."

The body against her tensed, then she felt an exhale, before two arms pulled her in a crushing hug.

"I should have guessed that it was you... I didn't dare to hope." A very familiar voice reached her ears and she tried to look up, but her vision was swimming too much. All she could see was a mop of blond hair and a familiar scent reached her nostril. Something in her mind tried to tell her something, but the blow her head sustained as she lost her Miraculous had her brain careening away and she was still reeling from... Everything.

"Ch-Chat? Why... Did they get to you? A-Are you injured?" She clumsily tried to inspect him and one of the arms hugging her raised to the back of her head, touching it, causing her to hiss in pain.

"Am I-You're _concussed_ , Marinette." The boy stated, disbelief dripping from his voice, trembling slightly. "I'm sorry my Lady... I couldn't protect you." Chat Noir took a shuddering breath. "And I couldn't protect Plagg either... I couldn't protect anything..." She could almost feel the despair and loathing laced in his voice, and since she couldn't do much else, she settled for hugging him back.

"I'm scared Chat..." She admitted, finally, _finally_ allowing herself to cry after so long. "I've tried for so long, I did my best, I tried not to get hurt when everyone left me, when Lila threatened me and got me expelled ..." She felt chat tense against her. "I gave up everything to be Ladybug. E-even _Adrien_ …” She finished with a small voice, before an odd sound, half laugh and half sob, tore out from her throat. "Looking back at it I was so, so stupid.... Why couldn't I meet you first, Chat, things would have been so much simpler this way..."

The boy just stayed silent, hugging her tighter, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Each time I had to tell you no, I felt so horrible, and you were so understanding, too... I tried forgetting about him when he started dating Kagami, but I couldn't, and I couldn't bring myself to accept you because you deserve so much more than me." Her fingers were digging into the fabric of the boy's shirt. " You deserve someone that would love all of you, not a wishy-washy obsessed idiot who can't decide between you and her friend..."

They spent a moment in silence, her crying in her too-good-for-her partner's arms, while he just held her. From the corner of her eyes, she could see a rapidly expanding pillar of light coming from somewhere, probably Hawkmoth's lair.

* * *

_[I wish to go back in time to undo my mistake]_

_[I wish for ###### to be saved and for ###### to be happy]_

_[I wish to become a great ######## who can find great ####### easily! …]_

_[I wish that #### and # can be together forever]_

_[I wish to become a rich and famous celebrity! I wish to be the center of ######’s universe, and I wish for ####### to_ suffer _. ]_

"How petty." Plague snickered in the black space his counterpart and him were occupying. "So many Loopholes..." The cat flew around, then noticed something odd. "You okay sugarcube? Normally you'd try to stop me..." He turned towards Tikki, to see her closed eyes, a smile fixed on her as if it were bolted on her face.

"Why would I care about a bunch of _selfish, murderous_ **_traitors_ **?" She asked Plagg genially, as if she was asking about the weather, which caused the cat to purr.

"Oooooh yeah, you talking my language here. Just think, all the bad luck I can curse them with." He almost cooed to the other. " Every victory they’'ll achieve will taste like ash, any achievement they get will only further their fall~" 

"Oh Plagg, you're such a romantic~" Tikki was fanning herself with her hand as the cat cackled and circled her, poisonous black particles trailing after him and devouring everything. "Do me a favor?" She finally asked after a while, causing the cat to perk up.

"Sure, what's up?"

Tikki smiled. It looked like the jagged edges of broken glass and the screams of the damned.

"I think you’re going to love this."

* * *

  
  
  


"I know it's too late for regrets but... It's so stupid.." Marinette laughed as the realization hit her like a truck." Here we are at the end of the world, and my regret isn't not confessing to Adrien..."

Chat made a curious noise, though it sounded like he, too, was crying.

"My only regret, my wish..." She sighed, falling bonelessly in his embrace as the pillar almost reached them " It's that I wanted to be the Ladybug you deserve..."

As the pillar hit them, and she felt herself fading, falling into white, Marinette noticed two things. First was that she heard chat's voice telling her something, but her ears felt like they were filled with water, she couldn't hear his words. Second was that her kwagatama, Tikki's gift, flashed red before dissolving into ladybugs.

* * *

  
  


Marinette's eyes opened and she bolted up, taking in her surroundings. She was currently sitting in the grass, in the middle of the park near her house. She wondered for a moment why she was here, before she gasped, finally remembering the recent events. Then, she felt a hand squeeze hers and looked down. It was a boy, blond haired, wearing a grey dress shirt, a black waistcoat, black slacks and shoes. He had a pale face, with very familiar features, and an overall neat and serious appearance. The boy stirred and his free hand (that was not holding hers, she tried to ignore) rubbed his eyes. He blinked blearily, until he looked at her, sleepily. He had pale blue eyes, almost grey, she noticed. The boy opened his mouth.

"My..My La-dy?" He yawned, a bit confused, and it took her a few instants to realize that she was looking at Chat Noir's civilian form.

"Chaton?" She couldn't help but ask as the boy smiled thinly, almost shyly at her.

"It may not be in the most favorable situation, nor in the one we both wished for." The boy spoke, smoothly and steadily. "But our time as Chat Noir and Ladybug is over now, therefore, I have to ask, will My Lady grace me with the honor of knowing her name?"

Marinette had to roll at the sheer amount of cheese she could hear dripping from his words and slapped him lightly on the arm. 

"You know who I am, kitty, but fine." She straightened herself and, oddly enough, felt a bit nervous. "H-Hi! My name is Ma-Marinette, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" She stuttered? Why did she stutter? Wait, she only did that around... .No. Nonononono... She put her head in her free hand as her face began flaming. In embarrassment! Yes, embarrassment!

Chat's expression turned slightly smug.

"A pleasure, _ma Marinette_ ." He said, finally getting up and getting far too close to her face for her comfort. She idly noticed that her hand was still in his and that he was taller than her, even sitting. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Felix Agreste. Not _that_ Felix, I assure you that I have higher standards when it comes to my behavior... Possibly." He mused, not reassuring her in the slightest and-Wait, Felix _Agreste_?

"But Adrien doesn't have a brother?" Marinette asked lost, before Felix' smirk widened and he pecked her on the cheek, his lips then brushing against her ear.

"He does, now that being Adrien and being Chat noir at the same time is impossible." He leaned back as the implication slowly sank in Marinette's already frazzled brain.

...

...

...

Marinette's face took on the rather fetching shade of a firetruck as she leaned back, pointed at him in shock and horror and her mouth opened and closed, the only sound escaping her throat being the muffled cry of a pterodactyl.

Ignoring her distress, ~~Adrien~~ ~~Felix~~ _that mangy cat_ lifted the hand prisoner in his and lightly kissed the top of her fingers.

"I look forward to getting along with you, my lady." He purred, and Marinette's overworked brain decided it was a great moment to stop working.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just posting this as the plot bunny repeatedly kicked me in the teeth, and mostly doing an interest check to see if people actually want to read more of this word vomit...


	2. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette tries to make sense of things, the Adrien-Felix-Chat gestalt has some answers, Tikki is Terrifying and Nooroo is finally home.

It took Marinette several minutes to calm down from the back to back revelations after putting some distance between her and her alley cat, the sun was setting and her thoughts were gradually being put in order. She looked up from her prone position -when did she end up hugging her knees?- on the grass and saw that her partner had busied himself reading a book whose title was in English. As if feeling her eyes on him, his eyes went from the book to her.

"Feeling calm yet?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as the book was closed and put on his lap. Marinette nodded, although, after looking at him, she realized something odd.

"You look older." She noted, and tried to shuffle through her confused memories to find any hints of his existence.

"I am older." He confirmed. "Two years, to be exact. I should have started my second year of high school in Britain, but I ended up having to transfer here." Marinette peered at him and, although his face was less expressive than it used to be, she still noticed that there was something he wasn't telling her. She could ask him, but... He was the only one left she could trust now...

"I won't pry... I trust you." She finally said, hesitantly, and it was only because she was looking for it that she noticed the slight and brief widening of his eyes. Felix nodded in acknowledgement.

"So do I.. Thank you." What for, he didn't say. He then cleared his throat, mouth behind his fist, his body seemingly relaxed, but that faux casual grace hiding a readiness to jump at any given moment was all Chat. She looked down at herself and raised a hand, flexing it in several ways. Odd... There was something odd about her moves...

"My Lady." Chat continued hesitantly. "Before the light hit us, we both formulated a wish, do you think...?" He didn't continue, but he didn't need to, and she remembered about Tikki's gift.

"It’s possible, yes. I said I wanted... Well, you know." Her cheeks flushed a bit at the memory of her latest accidental confession. "But I really meant that I wanted to be a proper Ladybug, not only as a hero, but as a person..."

Chat hummed, and looked at her, studying her face for a moment in silence.

"That would make sense, considering my own wish and the consequences of it." He began slowly, and Marinette looked at him, encouraging him to continue. "I... Well, the first thing you have to know is that I didn't take this situation very well, losing Plagg, the fact you got injured when you were alone, everything after... And even before that, I think, no, I  _ know _ , that some part of me hated myself. The Adrien me, I mean." He looked down, avoiding her gaze. "Chat Noir has always been my freedom, my way of expressing my innermost thoughts and feelings without fear of repercussions, Chat Noir was the person I always aspired to be, my escape from reality. Our time together... It felt like a dream I never wanted to wake up from. I think that is the reason I remained romantically interested in you, even after the initial crush. You saw me, what I was hiding from the rest of the world, and stayed regardless without judging me." He paused for a moment. "That is why, seeing you cry in my arms, telling me you loved all of me and that your only regret was failing me... It made me think, and I realized that my wish was similar, although more selfish."

Marinette looked at him curiously and he had a wry expression on his face. 

"I wished that I could be a proper Chat Noir, someone who could and  _ would  _ protect you, but more importantly, someone who could stand up for himself and for what he believed in, mask or not. I think that is what lead to my current situation." He frowned. "Because somehow, Lila Rossi ended up making a wish after Hawkmoth was done, that affected 'Adrien' and entered in direct conflict with mine."

Lila... Marinette looked into her memories of the New World and almost felt the need to gag. Here, Lila Rossi was famous for somehow knowing many celebrities, landing herself in great events and so on. At the same time of Lila’s transfer into her class in the Old World, Adrien... Immediately began revolving around her. They started dating a month later. Adrien... Marinette realized with surprise that the New Her held no particular feelings towards him, and quickly realized why. His apology for the chewing gum happened when Nino asked her to hear him out, and the umbrella event never happened. She didn't really know how to feel about that.

"That would explain all of her akumatizations, if she's working with Hawkmoth." But that would also mean that Nino and Alya would be impossible to bring back in, because they were very close to Adrien and Lila, while Marinette was something of a self-inflicted outcast in the class. Lila was the class rep, Alya was her delegate, and this time, Lila could deliver on her promises, which made her all the more terrifying to deal with, even if Hawkmoth wasn't akumatizing people anymore. "We...We need to get the Fox and Turtle back."

"Do you know who they are?" Chat asked in a low voice, his eyes suddenly more alert and scanning their surroundings. 

"I'm the new Guardian, and I was the one who chose them." She nodded. "But they can't be trusted, not now with the new rules... Carapace is Nino, and Alya is Rena Rouge. I don't know if they remember anything or if only the wish makers get to do that, but they're too close to Lila for comfort. Especially now that Hakwmoth has five Miraculous at his disposal." The butterfly, the peacock, the snake, the black cat and...Tikki...

Felix remained silent, hesitating.

"Four." He finally said, causing Marinette to look at him. "It seems that I inherited some of my former cousin's tendencies." His hand slowly reached into his trousers' back pocket as the other one grabbed her hand, dragging it palm up towards his. He put his fist on it and, after taking a shuddering breath, released what he held. It was...

"The butterfly Miraculous? How..-" Marinette cut herself off as she worked through all the data, to only reach a single conclusion. "Oh, chaton..." She looked at him, sadly, and leaned forwards to hug him. "I'm so sorry it was him."

Chat, no, Felix just sighed and sunk into her embrace. 

"I am not surprised in the least. Just... If we need to use it... I can't, Marinette." He said, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. " I cannot afford to use the Butterfly, not when my wish turned me into an existence that is closer to my father's. I wasn't interested in design before, I lost all desire to revel in animes... I don't feel like _myself_ anymore, and the last thing I want is to become the new Hawkmoth by trying to put things right again. I'm sorry My Lady..." 

Marinette held him tighter, before putting her hands on his arms and leaning back, looking at him.

"If." She stressed. "If we need to use the miraculous, I promise you we will never stoop as lowly as  _ that man _ did." She refused to mention his father, he lost that right the moment he  _ akumatized his own son _ . The memory almost made her growl in anger on her kitty's behalf. Still, she looked at the butterfly Miraculous and, after hesitating for a moment, she put it on. It flashed slightly, the light hidden by both teenagers' bodies, and from it emerged a tired looking butterfly kwami. The creature blinked, looking from Marinette to Felix and back, and immediately began bowing frantically.

"M-M-Marinette! F-F-Felix! I'm  _ so _ sorry for what I did! I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen to reason and now Plagg and TIkki have been taken and I'm so sorry and I understand completely that you would be angry at me because I'm such a useless kwami for enabling that man-" The butterfly launched itself in a nervous tirade about its worthlessness while Marinette stared dumbly and Felix looked away, mouth in his hand and shoulders trembling slightly.

"-and I know it's petty and unbecoming of a kwami, but I couldn't help but make that bottle fall all over his designs because otherwise he would have guessed you were Ladybug! O-oh, and all the times I had to have something fall on Plagg's tail so that he wouldn't find out about Hawkmoth because it would have destroyed Adrien and don't get me started on how Tikki is going to _ murder me _ -." The kwami continued, while Felix had fully turned away, but Marinette would hear him sniggering despite his best efforts to hide it. She would probably have accompanied him if she weren't too dumbfounded to do so. This was Nooroo, the Butterfly, the Kwami of the most terrifying villain she's ever encountered, all akumas included? This nervous, clumsy, overly emotional and easily panicking-  _ wait a second _ . 

Marinette's eyes slowly turned towards Chat's form as he fell to the ground, wheezing in laughter and directly looking at her.

"You stupid cat..." She began growling in warning, face reddening.

"You... have to admit... The two of you ... are a perfect match..." He said between wheezes, and Nooroo interrupted his apology about somehow being responsible for everything wrong in the world to instead look at the both of them.

"You... You're not upset?" Nooroo asked them with widened, almost awed eyes. the teenagers ended their staring match to instead look at the butterfly kwami. 

"That man is much more convenient to hate." Felix shrugged, and Marinette slapped his arm, rolling her eyes.

" _ What he means _ is that Hawkmoth's actions are their own and that you're not responsible for any of this. Besides, Tikki is the kindest kwami I've ever met. Sure, she can be a bit stubborn, but that's what Ladybugs are known for, you know?" Marinette beamed at the Butterfly, slowly coaxing him into being cradled in her hands. "So hello, I'm Marinette, your new partner! My parents own a bakery so if you want to eat anything, you just have to ask!"

Nooroo looked at her and felt a chill run up his spine. That idiotic man had taken Tikki from an all-you-can-eat macaron and cookies buffet. 

They won't even find the  _ corpse  _ when she's done with him.

"Really, you're just exaggerating." Marinette nodded definitively, and Nooroo and Felix shared a look.

* * *

_ Gabriel was walking around the counters of the empty kitchen for a late night snack after spending hours upon hours trying to salvage his designs when, as he was about to reach for the toaster, a butcher knife embedded itself in the contraption and would have taken his hand had he been even a second faster.  _

_ The man looked around for who was responsible, but what he failed to notice was that, in the darkened space between the ceiling and the top shelf on the opposite wall, there was an arbalest made from scavenged materials, while the Black Cat Kwami was tackling the Ladybug to the ground a paw on her mouth to keep her from making a sound. On the side, Nooroo looked at the proceedings in terror as Plagg was trying to keep Tikki from murdering his current wielder. Next to him was Duusu. _

_ "Dear me, not that I'm not grateful for my Miraculous being repaired, but was she always that bloodthirsty?" _

_ "You should have seen her after Jeanne d'Arc." Plagg answered tiredly, the Designated Tikki Wrangler's exhaustion palpable. _

* * *

_ It was night, and a younger Felix was in his bed, holding his covers and eyes glued on a mass of darkness in the ceiling. Big, shining blue circles that had to be irises shone amidst the nothingness and he could hear a voice, a loud whisper that sounded like broken glass. _

_ "I will swallow your sooooul...." It said, and Felix whimpered in fear. Then, right to his ear, the strange, cheese loving kitten that adopted him stirred, opening an eye and sighing. _

_ "Wrong brat, sugarcube." His cat said tiredly, before closing his eye again and nuzzling Felix' neck. "This one's mine." He purred, and out of the darkness appeared a strange red creature with black spots and luminescent blue eyes. The creature's expression was empty, almost ghoulish, as it dissected Felix with its eyes, before its face turned genial. _

_ "Oh my, I'm so sorry, Hello Felix, my name is Tikki!" It... was a she? According to her voice, though the boy was too busy convincing himself that this was a nightmare. Tikki fluttered to Felix and she put her hands on his cheeks. "It's too bad you look more like your father this way." She commented idly, then her face turned back to its terrifying default. "Make sure not to turn out like him or I'll have to dig one~ more~ grave." Then as if a flip was switched, she beamed happily at him. "Okay?" Felix said nothing, and Tikki's smile turned strained as her voice dropped. "I said : 'Okay' ~?" Felix nodded quickly, eyes wide and whimpering more loudly. "That's a good boy." the Bug creature patted both of his cheeks as the cat groaned.  _

_ Needless to say, Felix didn't sleep well that night.  _

* * *

"Right." The blond shuddered, now understanding why the Ladybug kwami decided that haunting the manor was an option. "I assume that you do not want to activate any other miraculous after the way the snake was lost?" He asked rhetorically and Marinette bit her lip, nodding. Poor Luka... At least one of the benefits of this new world was that he didn't have to go through this again... "Then we need to decide on a plan to steal back the Miraculous." A beeping noise was heard coming from his pocket and he reached into it, getting a sleek black phone out of it and scanning its contents, before sighing.

"I need to go, that man is about to send Gorilla after me. I'll get you tomorrow morning so that we can plan more in detail?" He asked her before pausing, then typing on his phone. "You should be receiving a message from me. We should at least decide on a version to tell your parents about how we know each other."

Marinette ignored the vibrating phone in her jacket's pocket and nodded, putting Nooroo carefully in her empty pocket.

"I should be getting home too, I don't want my parents to worry... Will you be alright?" She asked, looking up at Felix as she got up, scanning his impassive expression.

"I will deal. The hardest will no doubt be refraining from strangling Lila as she starts slobbering all over that idiot." He looked at her, smiling faintly. "I expect at least three collective designs for my sacrifice." Marinette tilted her head at that.

"Oh right, you like fashion now..." She muttered, before nodding. " Deal."

They shook on it.

* * *

Marinette arrived at home to see that... Nothing changed?

It was odd, really, really odd, because if her kitty was right and Lila indeed made a wish, then...

How come Marinette had been left off the hook?

She greeted her parents and went back to her bedroom, allowing Nooroo to fly out of her pocket and look around curiously as she was staring at her agenda, trying to make sense of what she needed to do next.

"Oooooh, you have a balcony." Nooroo flew back to Marinette." Master, if it's not too much to ask, do you think it possible for you to grow flowers there, I love flowers, and I missed the colors..." His shy smile turned a bit sad.

"Of course we can!" Marinette answered, wondering about how the kwami was treated before his rescue. "But before that, there's something else we need to do." She signaled for the kwami to approach and she got the miraculous box from its hiding place with an anticipatory grin. She then opened it up and proceeded to wear all the other miraculous, rousing the kwamis from their slumber. "Hey guys, I know this is sudden, but guess who's come back?"

The kwamis turned to Nooroo as one, and the butterfly waved nervously at them.

"H-Hello..." Was all he could say before getting swarmed by the others and dragged into a Kwami pile. "I'm back everyone..." Nooroo smiled, closing his teary eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I REALLY didn't expect all the positive answers to my first chapters and it kind of motivated me to continue this. I know Nanowrimo was last month, but I'm oddly pumped for this now! Thanks for the support guys, it's literally what keeps this continuing!


	3. Catharsis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Adrien-Felix-Chat gestalt lost its filter and has no regrets, Tikki is the kwami of bipolarity, Emilie worries.

When Felix got down from the Limousine and approached the foreboding manor, he had a Plan. 

More accurately, he had an excuse Marinette and him plotted over messages that they then deleted to erase any obvious evidence and therefore felt pretty confident about coming here. Straightening his back and squaring his jaw, entered the manor and arrived at the dining room, where the rest of his family, plus Rossi, were waiting for him. Clearly, this was going to be a tribunal or interrogation, did those people not have anything better to do? He was ready to live with the idea of a spineless version of him being stuck with that Italian cephalopod if that spared him this indignity.

"Hey Felix!" Adrien waved happily. "You missed Dinner and you weren't in your room." The octopus was wrapped around his arm and giggling, her face the very picture of innocence, but her eyes cold as always. Little wonder that Lila Rossi wasn't a name that came up in good light among designers, her quality as a model was lower than her IQ, Felix snarked in his mind, while keeping his face the very picture of neutrality.

"Indeed. I went to the park to look for inspiration and lost track of time upon engaging conversation with another aspiring designer passing by." He looked at that man in the eyes, refusing to back down just because the ‘family council’ was summoned.

"You did?" His mother, the most likely reason why that man became Hawkmoth, smiled slightly at him. "I'm glad for you honey, though you should have warned us, you could have been abducted, the streets are dangerous nowadays in Paris. You should have brought one of the bodyguards with you, or just stayed at home, I would have ordered more pictures if you wanted to look at plants." Ah. Her personal brand of overprotectiveness that had past him locked up tight and under key for most of his life. How he didn't miss it.

"Oh? Did something happen that caused an increase of criminality in Paris? If so, I must have missed that broadcast. I shall endeavor to consult the news in order to be up to date with this phenomenon. If that was all, good evening." The boy nodded and began striding away, not giving them the time to react as he left them behind, or so he hoped. Clearly that man decided that being the bane of one existence wasn't enough and decided to go two for two on that particular topic.

"Son. Your schedule has been adjusted to take your schooling into account. Do not abuse the trust we show you." That man said, and Felix had to clamp down on his rising fury. No use causing a scene in front of them.

"This was not my intention. However, I will note that dinners have not been noted as a priority and I have no obligations to show myself for those. To put it simply, I do not want to fail the deadline you gave me on those designs and as such, took the steps I judged as being appropriate to ensure a timely delivery." He had no obligations to show up, and if that man wanted him to come, he'd have to drag him there himself.

That man stared at him, obviously trying to discern whatever was going through his head at the moment, visibly to no avail as the man turned to Mother in obvious request. He remembered now, that those two made a terribly efficient good cop bad cop team when they agreed on something. Namely, ruining his life.  _ Again _ . Mother gave him a wan smile and approached him.

"I know you're reaching the age where being with your family doesn't seem interesting, but I would still love for us to have a moment when we can all spend our time together. Please honey? won't you do it for me?" Mother looked at him hopefully, and he took a moment to admire the masterfully crafted verbal attack. If he were to refuse, then he would be the bad one and they would be the victims, like every other time Old Felix tried to isolate himself from that unrepentant mess that was his family. However, this was a New Felix here, and he'd rather starve than having to spend time trying to be friendly with the octopus. Speaking of which. 

"A family dinner, you say..." He spoke carefully, eyes setting on the octopus. "However, I don't seem to recall this one being one of us." If his own brand of diplomacy was going to fail, then he would have to rely on the octopus' only reliable skill: the ability to make noise and cause a scene. From the corner of his eyes, he could see a red flash coming from behind the group, and the intruder's bag slowly began sagging. The teenager didn't know what Tikki had in mind this time, but knowing what he does now, it certainly wouldn't hurt him to give her a hand by providing a distraction. Speaking of which, he could already see the Octopus begin to shrink and look pitiful, while Adrien -Did Felix look as unthreatening before? He looked like an angry kitten...- put himself between Felix and his ... ugh...  _ Girlfriend _ .

"Lila's my girlfriend and has every right to be here!" the younger boy pitifully failed to defend her and Felix sighed.

"Indeed? Odd." Mother was about to step in and Felix changed gears. "I don't recall my aunt and cousin ever being invited to our dinners, even before Uncle died." Mother gasped softly and froze. One down, three to go. 

"Furthermore, while I do understand that hormones oftentimes get the best of us, I will not even bother trying to you Father. I disapprove of Adrien and the octopus' relationship." 

... Oops. He still had to work around integrating Felix' attitude and Chat Noir's lack of filter. Oh well, showtime.

"Lila Rossi. Born to Serena and Cesare Rossi. One of them an Italian ambassador, and the other famous for being a con artist who managed to scam the Italian Government for millions of euros. She then, by some odd twists of fate, ended up crossing paths with more and more famous people, while not even lifting a single finger. Not only that girl's only claim to fame is that she leeches from people more famous than her, her only tangible skill seems to be  _ luck _ of all things." He scoffed and raised a hand, waving dismissively in the octopus' direction while his father frowned. 

"Let's not forget how much they clash together in appearance. Are you that incompetent that you are unable to coordinate your apparel with my brother's as you constantly latch onto him during public events? Oh no Father." Felix now glared at the man while reaching into his messenger bag, his waste of a genetic donor blinking in a close approximation of shock. "Please don't stop me and  _ do _ explain why Adrien made the headlines in Gala with that magnificent piece of subtext 'Is the Agreste family unable to dress its muse?'. It was bad enough that you declared _ that _ " He pointed at the octopus. " To be your muse!" 

"Your PR team had to work for entire  _ months  _ to salvage this and even then, the brand took a hit we only now began to recover from! And that's only for public events, and as a couple. Have you  _ seen  _ how that tart is dressing? Who in their right mind would try to emphasize a nonexistent chest that way? She looks like a child playing dress up! And the pink! Why would she wear cool colors with that skin, she looks like she hasn't washed in months because her skin looks  _ dusty _ . Father, I know that you tend to be softer on Adrien but please,  _ for the love of God _ , sit the octopus down and talk to her about not looking like a clown if you can't teach her taste. Let's not even talk about those shoes!" Felix made a noise of disgust. 

"If she's going to stick around a family whose entire job revolves around fashion, and if you want me to tolerate her existence despite her unfortunate appearance, then at least she could make an effort not to make me want to stab my own eyes with my sewing needles." Felix then glared at the octopus, whose exaggerated sobbing was slowly, but surely, leaving place to tears of rage. He refrained from smiling smugly. Another benefit from this world was that there would be no Hawkmoth to take advantage of her most recent temper tantrum. 

"Seriously, how  _ dare  _ you make me look at you with my own two eyes. I can feel my fashion sense die every time you're in the vicinity, you walking crime against color coordination." 

This was the octopus' breaking point and she began wailing, but Felix didn't care. No, all he cared about was that he felt lighter than he'd felt in literal years. He had reached enlightenment and was floating in Nirvana. He took a deep breath and exhaled pure zen, only saying one word as Adrien was trying to hug the tears out of that girl.

"Haaaa…. _ Catharsis _ ." Felix' expression was as close to beatific as he could manage when he turned towards his disapproving Mother and that flabbergasted man. "I think that I have made my feelings clear. If she cannot handle that amount of constructive criticism, High society is going to eat her alive and I, for one, do not want to waste my time. Therefore, Mother, Father, I will see myself to my room."

"N-No you d-don't! You-you never liked me because of how I  _ look _ ?!" Count on the octopus not to bother thinking about what she wants to ignore. She was stomping in his direction angrily, though unsteadily because of those disgusting stiletto platform shoes, when Felix saw a lipstick tube roll on the floor just as she walked on it and tripped. She then landed on a puddle of something and only now did he smell nail polish. It was a very nice mandarin shade. He looked up towards the table and saw that her bag had fallen from the chair, despite the fact it shouldn't have. So that was the ladybug's plan. Felix approved. He turned once more towards his parents and nodded to them, walking around the table and towards the kitchen to collect something for the kwamis and him to eat. 

As he entered the room, he saw the red and black menace float up towards his face, positively beaming in pride and joy. Felix raised an eyebrow and, in a surge of sentimentality, his fist.

"Pound it?" He asked, and saw Tikki and Plagg perk up as the ladypug pounded her fist against his.

"About time, Chat Noir!" And it was as if all the darkness and ever-present barely repressed rage the red kwami held disappeared.

Felix could only dream that his mask would one day be worth a fraction of Tikki's. 

* * *

  
  


Emilie Agreste beheld the scene of carnage in her dining room and felt... Pretty upset. Felix had crossed the line when mentioning her sister, even to keep her from intervening. Not to mention how hard he went on the girl. Couldn't he at least have taken her aside, instead of humiliating her in front of her boyfriend? She looked at her Dear, who was rubbing his chin consideringly, and felt slightly guilty.

Her husband had been less than forthcoming about how and why he obtained the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous, but considering how vehement he was in keeping the Peacock out of her hands, she could make a hypothesis or two. What he did tell her, however, was that her son, Felix, didn't exist before, and was a direct consequence of the Wish being made, even if he wasn't the result.

This scared her more than she liked to admit, that a life could be created as mere 'collateral damage'. What will be the price, she wondered, of the miracle her husband sought?

She shook her head and focused back on the present. Namely, Lila Rossi, her baby's girlfriend, wailing on the floor with what seemed to be a broken ankle and drying nail polish all over her face, hair and clothes. She knew Felix couldn't have done that. Not only because he was on the wrong side of the room, but also because the kwamis were forbidden from interacting with people that were not family and people unaware of the Miraculous. In this particular case, Felix was the latter, so that meant once again that Tikki was acting out to ruin Lila's day. She didn't fully know why her kwami had a vendetta against the girl, but considering how uncooperative she was with Emilie herself, she had a feeling the girl was involved with her husband's business. She felt for the kwami, she really did, but her husband had been very clear that their family wouldn't be able to afford the world reverting to its original state and as such, she couldn't let go of the ladybug miraculous.

Perhaps it was cowardice on her part, but Emilie didn't want to die again.

And then, there was, once again, Felix. Her distant problem child, whom she suspected was the world's way of balancing what happened to her sister's family... He didn't fit in, never had, and ever since Gabriel 'remembered', it was as if he entirely forgot about his own son. Emilie tried to fill the gap left by his absence, but she herself didn't really remember anything about the boy and treated him more like a nephew than like a son, which he picked up on quickly and pushed him to travel abroad to study. He came back only two days ago now, and while he was distant and cool yesterday, today it was as if all of his repressed bile and anger exploded the very moment he was given an opportunity.

This was when she noticed that her son wasn't like either of them. But if Felix wasn't like Gabriel or Amelie, then, why did he feel so familiar?

Still, she had a family to attend to, and maybe she could convince Gabriel to lighten Felix' schedule? The poor boy sounded awfully stressed...

* * *

  
  


Felix was eating a sandwich in his room, the perfect copy of Adrien's save that all the games were replaced by rolls upon rolls of fabric, sketches, bookshelves and more sewing supplies, while the kwamis were munching on their favorite snacks that the blond graciously provided. Keeping one eye on his phone, he turned on the TV and put up a horror movie, of the zombie apocalypse variety, and increased the volume to cover for the conversation noises.

"I gave Nooroo to Marinette." He finally spoke up, seeing no need to beat around the bush. Plagg made a vaguely interested noise from his napping position, cradling his piece of cheese as if someone was going to try and steal it after his nap. Duusu stared at the movie intently and hummed in acknowledgement while TIkki...

Tikki's big blue eyes nearly doubled in size and filled with tears as she began wailing about how unfair this was.

"How come you got to see her first?!" The kami whined and raised an all around fuss as Felix began typing something on the phone.

"If you don't cut that out, I'm not video calling her."

Tikki, all tears forgotten immediately sparkled in his general direction and Felix sighed as he pressed the call button. The screen was replaced by Marinette looking at the phone curiously and Tikki immediately went to hug the contraption.

"Marinette! I missed you ! Are you okay? Did you eat well? You're not traumatized right, right?!" Felix could hear Marinette's teary laugh.

"Tikki! I was so worried... I'm" And now she was sobbing, Felix frowned as he got himself a pen and paper end began writing. "I'm sorry for failing you Tikki, I should have been better, I shouldn't have gotten separated from Chat and I have so much more to apologize for ! How did you even manage to tolerate me Tikki?!"

"Oh Marinette..." Tikki said, almost mournfully and, in his honest opinion, hearing the Kwami speak in a tone that didn't equate to impending room and/or suffering was just weird. " You didn't fail me, you were betrayed. That's a kind of pain I hoped you would never have to deal with, but here we are... You are my best ladybug in centuries Marinette, I will never regret meeting you, and my only regret is that I got stolen by that  _ snake _ ." Her tone was darkening and Felix debated on whether or not he should allow this to carry on. On one hand, Marinette would learn of Tikki the Terror and he would have a human to commiserate with. On the other, he had to live with the Kwami and she'd probably nurse a grudge against him if he let her blow her cover. He sighed.

"I am afraid the movie won't last forever, we should start planning. You said that you had an idea to get to the Fox?" He asked, interrupting the crying fest.

"Oh! Sorry Chat! Yes, My idea was to wait until we have sports and switch her miraculous with a copy. I'm making those for Nino's and Alya's, but are you sure you're going to be okay? I don't see Hawkmoth taking the loss of Nooroo kindly..." She trailed off, and Felix nodded to himself, still writing.

"The me form before took steps so that the loss of that man's prized piece of jewelry would be blamed on Lila. It would be a bother to explain, but with your cooperation, I hope to be able to ensure the suspicion remains solely on her. After all, he's still blaming Adrien for the book he accidentally damaged beyond all repair. Right Tikki?" He asked rhetorically, and the kwami looked entirely unrepentant. "That's the miraculous book out of their hands. I need to find a way to give it to you still, but we shouldn't have to worry about power ups."

"I see..." Marinette's voice sounded hesitant. "What would you need me to do?"

Felix smiled.

"Oh, it shouldn't be too hard. You're a veteran at being a superheroine after all..."

Tikki and Marinette listened to his plan intently as they all began plotting how to destroy the enemy's unity as a group from the inside...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I woke up in the middle of the night and since I had the chapter ready, I told myself "why not? It's a brand new day!"
> 
> Enjoy the chapter where Felix discovers the wonders of actually insulting people.


	4. School Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette slowly realizes she doesn't have to fear Hawkmoth because SHE is Hawkmoth, school finally starts and things are weird, and Felix gets befriended against his will.

Marinette had eaten, bathed, all her clothes and school supplies were ready, homework was done and lessons learned, and she was up to date with her project since the 'previous' Marinette didn't start taking commissions yet, a change she chalked on Alya being too busy with her scoops to build the girl's confidence.

In other words, Marinette was currently facing a foe she hadn't in years.

Idleness.

Wow. Even in her mind this sounded sad.

She sat on her bed in her pajamas, legs crossed and hugging her cat pillow, looking at the Butterfly Kwami, who was busying himself fretting over a clay pot filled with dark soil. She didn't even know they had pots stashed away.

"What are you doing?" She asked, and Nooroo looked up, staring, then his expression turned to one of realization.

"Oh. I forgot, you're not Hawkmoth..." The kwami looked so lost that Marinette felt her heart break for the little creature, and she climbed down from her bed, before walking up to Nooroo and sitting on the floor in front of him.

"Nooroo... I'm so sorry it happened to you. If you're not comfortable with the plan, we can call it off and you can go back to sleep in the miraculous box." She insisted, looking as unthreatening as she could in front of the almost-certainly abused creature. She made a mental note to make Gabriel's punishment just that much more painful. Nooroo looked so cute and delicate and colorful! All she learned in her admittedly short time with him was that he was soft and harmless! You'd have to be a complete and utter monster to make him cry!

Nooroo, unknowing of Marinette's increasingly imaginative ways of making his previous master suffer, just shook his head.

"No need, Mas-Marinette." He corrected himself, before his habit could take over. "It is my pleasure for my powers to be used to do good. That it helps save Sass, Duusu, Plagg and Tikki only makes it better. I just need time to adapt. Hawkmoth bastardized and perverted many of my abilities in his pursuit of power." He patted the soil. "You noticed that Duusu's and my abilities are a bit... Stronger, than the rest of the Kwami?" He started, and Marinette nodded.

"I know stopping you made Master Fu decide to use Plagg and Tikki at the same time, and even he thought it wouldn't be enough." Which, considering the fact Hakwmoth wanted them both, was probably a testament of how strong Nooroo is. The butterfly nodded.

"My title as the strongest... Is a lie." Nooroo began, sitting on the dirt. "My miraculous requires a lot of time to set up, and grants no physical enhancements whatsoever. It requires the help of other willing people for its abilities to be leveraged, and incredible work from my wielder." 

Nooroo showed the dirt.

"First is my special butterflies. The proper way to grow them is for you, my wielder, to plant and grow healthy flowers who, once they bloom, give birth to my butterflies. The time, effort and investment you feel towards nurturing their growth and health is then reflected in them, granting them the ability to in return ensure the growth of whoever you choose to bless with your powers."

"What... Did Hawkmoth do, then?" Marinette frowned. "He had so many butterflies... And TIkki mentioned something about not abusing the miraculous powers?" Her Kwami Nodded.

"My old Master preyed on other people's pain and fear, their dark feelings and helplessness. To do so, he had to immerse himself in such feelings and... To grow those predatory butterflies, that could be used to abuse that... He unknowingly shaved off his ability to feel, little by little, by using a spell my users are only supposed to use in life or death emergencies. That's why I know he won't be satisfied with what he has, because he can't enjoy his wish anymore. Whatever sweet memories he wished to invoke, the reality of it now will taste like ash to him. Such is the reality of people who wish to abuse my powers."

That... Sounded terrifying. Marinette looked at Nooroo contemplatively.

"He thought he had no other recourse, that it was his only option. His desperation tainted his use of the miraculous and closed his heart, causing him to only be able to prey on people in a situation similar to him for the longest time." Nooroo concluded, a paw playing in the dirt, before getting up and dusting himself.

"Now, don't let me scare you off from using me. Instead, I'll talk to you about what it means to be the wielder of the butterfly miraculous, alright?" The girl made a noise of assent and he continued. "Like Tikki is the Kwami of Creation, I am the Kwami of Transmission. The core and motif of my abilities is to be able to transmit thoughts, words and feelings from one people to another. As such, my wielders tend to be charismatic, empathetic and artistic people. People who, due to their increased understanding of people, involve themselves in groups and, thanks to their ability to convey their meaning to others, are generally popular. Art itself is part of this as it is another medium my wielders can use to transmit information to others. Even Hawkoth's akumas followed the same rule, as they were merely sharing their pain around with whatever means was provided to them."

"Gabriel is a designer... This counts, right?" 

"Yes. A butterfly's wing designs have many uses, be it to ward off predators, attract mates, and so on. Being my wielder means learning how to communicate with people, as well as expressing yourself through various mediums. Is that clear so far?"

"It sounds like more of what I was doing, if I'm going to be honest." The girl mused as Nooroo glanced at her mannequin.

"Tikki mentioned that, yes. Since you are still young, but are used to partnering with Tikki, you barely escape the time limit restriction of five minutes, but some of my abilities, like duplication and so on, will be out of reach for you. What you can do, however, if a particular chosen's powers appeal to you, is upon releasing a butterfly, call it back and keep his powers, allowing you to re-transform said chosen later on if need be."

"So I would benefit from looking around a lot to see if there are any good powers out there?"

"Yes. However, keep in mind that you wouldn't be able to use this butterfly as long as that power is in reserve, since it wouldn't be able to bond with anyone else. I don't really know how it feels to use my power of detection, but I have been told that the first few times of bonding with your chosen can be overwhelming, since strong emotion is still required for the butterfly to activate, so don't be scared to take a step back and calm down for a few minutes. Bonding will mean that you will have access to all of your chosen's emotions and immediate thoughts, it will overwhelm you at first, so don't blame yourself if it isn't smooth at first. You do have an advantage here, in that you're the one in hiding now." Nooroo paused for a second.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Since the Butterfly isn't supposed to fight, you have more freedom over your costume, I would suggest thinking about what you would like to wear for when you can transform as well as some templates for your Chosen's designs. My old Master deliberately made the akumatized people offensive to his fashion sense, so that they couldn't be traced back to him, but it also meant that he didn't put that much thought and effort into it, causing them to be overall weaker than what they should be. Not by much, but every little bit can help, so I would suggest choosing an overarching theme for your Chosen. Effort and Preparation." Nooroo repeated, and Marinette hummed, her brain swimming with designs and eyeing the kwami.

"I suppose your color palette is what I am working with?"

"With white, grey and black, yes, seeing as they are shades." The kwami answered knowingly, and some part of Marinette's mind cackled.

While she wouldn't be able to go heroing for a long while, she finally had something to stave off the boredom!

* * *

  
  


"Honey, your friend is here to escort you to school!" Marinette felt her mother shake her shoulder and she groaned. Maybe designing with Nooroo until 3 AM wasn't a good idea. She yawned.

"Which one?" She mumbled, and Sabine laughed.

"One I've never seen before. He introduced himself as Felix?"

Marinette's eyes immediately opened wide and she jumped out of bed, tripping over the covers and jumping on one foot to her desk where her clothes were.

"Ooooh,  _ that  _ kind of 'friend'." The woman said amused as Marinette began panicking.

"N-No! He's just a really good friend!" The woman raised her arms in surrender and walked out of the room, while Marinette was putting on her clothes and rushing down.

Felix was currently sitting at a table, again reading from a book, and raised an eyebrow as she arrived, breathing hard and her face red.

"Sorry I overslept! I was up late designing and I had so many ideas!" The blond nodded, pointing at a plate to his left, where an innocuous piece of peach flan tart lay untouched.

"Sabine told me to tell you to have that on the go so that you are not late" He then closed his book, put it in his bag and got up. "Shall we go?"

Marinette nodded really hard, her pigtails bouncing. As they got out and began walking on the street, her partner spoke up once more.

"I told Sabine and Tom that the two of us have met in the comment section of a few fashion forums and have been corresponding for a few years now. With my return from England, I figured I could try to visit you to finally meet you face to face, as I learned that we would be attending the same school, although in different divisions."

"That sounds reasonable." Marinette nodded. "Oh, I managed to sew a hidden pocket on my undershirt, so I can have Nooroo with me at school just in case. I won't be able to use his powers properly until I have a few flowers..."

The two of them walked to school, mostly catching up on what happened and what they learned, until they arrived at school.

"Dudette? Who's that?" They both turned around to see Nino and Alya, arm in arm, one of them looking in surprise and the other looking dubious. Felix immediately crossed his arms and frowned but said nothing, leaving it up to Marinette to talk. Considering what he let escape about the Dinner with Lila, it might have been for the best.

"Oh. Hi Nino, hello Alya. This is my friend Felix. We met a few years ago and kept in contact, he finally transferred here from England, so I figured I'd show him around."

"Your 'friend'. Right. And you got up early enough to show him around when you being late is a school tradition at this point. Sheesh girl..." Alya raised an eyebrow, amused, and Marinette's inside's immediately turned to ice. Because the Marinette from before she got her memories back didn't have commissions, or much to do, she didn't have problems waking up. Meaning that Marinette was  _ never  _ late. In other words, Alya remembered, and so did Nino. She felt Nooroo nudge her from her specially made pouch and she ignored her growing feeling of dread to instead adopt a confused expression.

"I'm sorry?" She paused, before hitting her fist to her palm. "Oh, I get it, this was a joke because you're always late and I've never been. I got it Alya." Behind her, she felt Felix tense up as he understood what was going on, but he thankfully stayed put. Alya looked confused, before a look of alarm overtook her expression and then she began laughing awkwardly.

"Yeah, that joke kinda fell flat ..." The Fox wielder looked a bit uncomfortable as Nino and her stared at Marinette. "But hey, what's a bit of teasing between besties?" She winked, and Marinette's pit of _dreadconfusionangeryearning_ began roiling in her stomach. Her anxiety was rising and she was finding it hard to breathe.

"I...I'm not though? We're just classmates but never really talked. You and Lila are best friends, have been for years Alya... Are you _sure_ you're okay?" It took Marinette all of her willpower and a lot of encouragement from her kwami not to scream and break down here and there. Because...

"As for the 'best friend' title." A smooth voice interrupted, with more than a hint of frost in it, as she felt Felix' hand slowly coil under her forearm. "I am afraid that this belongs to me." Marinette looked up and shivered a bit at the level of hostility Felix was showing. This wasn't right... Adrien and Nino were friends, right? Even if he rejected parts of himself, surely this didn't change? "Ah, but forgive my manners. My name is Felix Agreste, and I am transferring to my second year of Lycée."

"You're Adrien's bro!" Nino snapped his fingers in realizations. "That's why I thought you looked familiar, you're kind of like his pops huh." The boy peered at Felix, whose hackles began to rise.

"I would appreciate it if you ceased trying to draw parallels between  _ that man _ and I." He almost hissed and Marinette grabbed his arm.

"Oh, look at the time! I need to give him his tour now or we'll all be late! Bye!" She ran away, dragging the angry blond with her and heading towards the High school division or Françoise Dupont.

* * *

Well, that could have gone better, Marinette sighed, trying to ignore the dull ache in her chest. Nino, Alya, Adrien... They all used to be so close and now, they were almost strangers to her. The two had reached an empty classroom and she sighed, letting go of her partner.

"Sorry for dragging you away, it looked like it was about to get ugly." She apologized, and Felix nodded stiffly. The two remained silent for a few moments and then, Felix looked away and opened an arm in her direction.

"Then or now, I'm not good with emotional words, so..." He wiggled his hand and she leaned forwards, before slowly hugging him, his arm falling on her back. Marinette buried her face in his chest and trembled a bit.

"I don't know if I can do it Chat... They all moved on without me, it feels so lonely that it hurts." The blond hummed.

"I wouldn't overestimate the abilities of Polpa Rossi. She may be taking credit for many things, but beyond that, she is woefully incompetent. If your classmates aren't complete idiots, then some of them may already be noticing that her castle is built on sand." Marinette hummed, then lifted her head to look at him.

"'Polpa'?"

"Feminized Italian for octopus." Felix answered succinctly and Marinette snorted at the image of a Lila-faced brown octopus latching on Adrien's arm. Felix' less grumpy expression was more than enough to transmit that making her laugh was indeed the aim. 

"I should get on with that tour..." Marinette reluctantly began detaching herself from Felix only for the other to sigh.

"No need. I already memorized the building's layout as well as the classroom numbers." He answered placidly, his arm not moving.

"Then why are we here?" Marinette asked, confused, and Felix raised an eyebrow at her, his lips quirking up slightly and his blue eyes shining with Chat's mischief.

"I needed my Purrincess time to recharge my batteries, for I fear this cat would end up scratching off a few faces otherwise."

The girl's face reddened and she let her forehead fall once more against his chest, hugging him in a position that would be more comfortable for her.

"Stupid cat..." She muttered, annoyed, but didn't let go anyways.

  
  


* * *

Strangely enough, or not, her kitty time actually _did_ lift up her spirits.

She entered the class a few minutes early, to be confronted with a scene her memories informed her was commonplace. On one side stood Chloé, as miffed as usual, and Sabrina, who provided her with silent support. On the other, Lila was sobbing in Adrien's arms, the boy looking helplessly as Alya was shouting at the mayor's daughter, her boyfriend crossing his arms and helping her.

Alix and Kim were arguing about something or another, Nathaniel was drawing in a corner, Max was playing a game on a handheld console, Rose and Juleka were talking about something, while Mylène and Ivan were staring at each other with googly eyes, sighing and very obviously pining. In other words, all of her work to previously help everyone had come undone. Well, she had her work cut out for her then.

She walked behind Lila's group to avoid detection, towards the end of the class where her seat was, a prime position to survey the class and plotted her next move. She closed her eyes, concentrating on what her ears could pick up and, funnily enough, she got up the moment she heard Juleka mention a curse.

She slowly, discreetly reached the duo, picking up on more of their conversation.

"-come on Juleka, don't lose hope..." The blonde girl was looking tearfully at her friend.

"Nothing worked Rose, even when Lila used that technique that this famous photographer taught her... I'm hopeless..." Jukeka sighed. Marinette, on reflex, looked out for an akuma, before remembering that she was the current butterfly provider, gave herself a second to freak out about that fact, then inserted herself into the conversation.

" What's hopeless?" She asked, and the two girls startled, turning around as Marinette peered at them curiously.

"O-oh! Marinette, I didn't see you come! Hello!" Rose greeted her with nervous cheer, as Juleka hid behind her hair. "Uhm... We were talking about photos. Juleka feels down because they don't come out right."

Marinette nodded. So far, it stuck to the original script. She unlocked her phone, set it up to selfie mode as the two were bickering and lowered herself to Juleka's level, hugging her shoulder with one arm and pressing her against her to make sure she couldn't escape the photo.

"Say Spaghetti!" She didn't give Juleka time to protest before she pressed the button and the flash signaled that it was done. Ignoring the startled spluttering of the goth girl, Marinette hummed as she looked at the photo. She was grinning cheekily, looking at the camera, while Juleka looked like a deer in the headlights and Rose, apparently noticing her intentions, had jumped on Juleka to hug her and was giving the picture a V-sign. Marinette turned the phone towards them.

"I don't know, it looks fine to me?" She smiled at Juleka and Rose squealed.

"Oh my gosh you look so cute in this one Juleka! Send it to me please please please with extra sugar on top?" The girl put her fists under her chin, making wide, pleading eyes at her.

"Done." Marinette was already pressing the 'send' button before Rose was finishing her question. "Want me to send you a copy too?" She asked the other girl, who had remained suspiciously silent until now. Then she heard a sniffle.

"Yes please... Thank you..."

"You're welcome." Marinette beamed at her as the bell rang the beginning of her class and she sauntered back to her seat.

She had to admit, solving issues was so much easier when Hawkmoth wasn't here to ruin the day! From the opening of her pouch, she could see Nooroo smiling widely at her in approval. It made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

* * *

Lessons went normally, though Marinette was focused on taking notes properly, so she wouldn't know if something happened.

The real surprise came after classes ended and Marinette was readying herself to go. She heard people walking in her direction and looked up, seeing Rose almost skipping in her direction, holding Juleka's hand.

"Ma~ri~nette~ She sing-sang, letting go of Juleka's hand to jump and hug her. " We're going for ice cream! You wanna come with us? As thanks for the photo!" Her grip was surprisingly strong and Marinette found that she couldn't escape, so she did the only thing she could and gave up in face of Rose's aggressive enthusiasm.

"Sure, if you don't mind passing by the high school first, I have a friend there who I'd like to check on." Rose immediately let go and clapped her hands happily.

"Ooooh, a friend in high school? That's great! I was worried because you were always alone in the back, but you looked like you didn't mind and you were always on top of everything, so I thought you were busy with your studying and all when you didn't mingle with the class!"

That was... Marinette didn't really know what to say to that and so, said nothing as the trio headed towards where Felix' last class was taking place.

Once there, however, she was treated with a... Surprising scene.

Felix was stalking away from the class, in her direction and once he noticed her, his jaw was set and he beelined towards her until he reached her.

" _ Marinette, we're going _ ." He said urgently, looking over his shoulder.

"Huh? Felix wait-" Marinette began to protest as Rose perked up.

"Hey Luka!" She waved and Felix froze. "Come here! We've got a friend to introduce to you!"

"What a coincidence, so do I." Marinette looked from behind the blond and her heart stopped when she saw Juleka's brother, standing there and smiling genially. "This is Felix, he transferred today from England. He may look cold and unfriendly, but his melody is just shy." 

"I most definitely am  _ not _ !" Felix stepped away, looking like a disgruntled cat. "And I would appreciate you not spreading misinformation about me."

Luka nodded, still smiling, then turned to Juleka.

"We're friends." He declared, ignoring Felix' protests and Marinette's giggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh, at this point I'll just post when I have something because I have ZERO PATIENCE!
> 
> Luka appears, this fic is now 25% better by his existing on screen. Sorry for those who come her expecting immediate Karma, but I need to set up a few things before we get to the more obvious butterfly effect shenanigans, and part of this fic is also about Marinette and Felix' adventures in this new world...
> 
> As always thanks for the comments and input!


	5. Baby Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gestalt has been angered, Marinette dresses up, and class proceeds as usual.

"-I see. Thank you very much for your cooperation, Miss Tsurugi. I look forward to crossing blades with you once more." 

_ "Likewise." _

Felix ended the call, putting his phone on the table. He closed his eyes, putting his fingers on the cool surface and trying to calm himself. When that failed, he pressed with all his might, his knuckles turning white and his entire frame trembling un barely repressed fury.

And when that failed, Felix got up and began trashing his own room, screaming until his throat was raw, a small part of his mind glad that his room's walls were soundproof.

  
  


* * *

It had been two weeks since they remembered everything, Chat and her, and she was only just now beginning to find a new equilibrium of sorts.

"They're looking good!" Nooroo said encouragingly, poking at one of the flower buds. "Marigolds may be a bit on the nose, but they're fast-growing enough for your needs, you'll probably get a strong butterfly out of it."

Marinette and Nooroo were currently on her balcony, huddling over a pair of flower pots from which plants were growing.

"I don't know Nooroo, most of them have died during the first few days, what did I do wrong?" The girl worried her lips, looking at the last two surviving flower stalks while the butterfly patted her on the knee patiently.

"It's normal, most of the plants wouldn't survive it in the first place, that you got two out of it with flowers that fragile is excellent already. I didn't expect you to get any before Spring, we're way ahead of schedule!" The Kwami suddenly patted her even more insistently. "Marinette! Look! The one on the right is blooming!"

The girl leaned forwards and, indeed, the flower was opening, like on those nature documentaries she watched with Nooroo where they showed the growth of plants in fast forward mode. First the green separated, then, like an explosion, a multitude of marigold petals spread around, revealing at its center a small, white butterfly. Its wings were folded and it was struggling around, stumbling as it was drunk.

"There we are..." Nooroo carefully offered a paw for the butterfly to lay on. "Its wings need to unfold and dry before it can fly around. This little one is not particularly strong, though it will do better with passionate people, so be careful about who you send it to and what kind of emotion you are latching on, if you wish to avoid explosive reactions." The kwami said, cooing at the newborn butterfly.

Marinette nodded while scribbling furiously on her secret butterfly notebook.

"Are they all different from one another?" She asked and Nooroo nodded.

"That is part of the challenge with the butterfly. The most efficient way to use my miraculous requires large amounts of micromanaging, analyzing and categorizing. Hawkmoth didn't really bother with any of that, which is why the akumas you had to fight varied so randomly in strength and ability."

"That makes sense..." The girl trailed off. "Do you think the other will happen today?"

Nooroo shook his head.

"One butterfly a day, to avoid swarming." The butterfly on his paws shook a little, its wings unfolding. Marinette held her breath as she saw the white butterfly from up close. It was pure white, slightly luminescent, and its wings had very light blue veins. It was slightly bigger than a regular butterfly and...

"It's all fuzzy..." Marinette almost squealed.

"Indeed, that body reminds me of a poodle moth, though its eyes are blue, not black." The kwami answered seriously, blowing gently on the butterfly to encourage it to fly. It began fluttering around for a while, before Landing on Marinette's shoulder, who hid her mouth behind her hand and let out a high pitched noise. Nooroo smiled. It was nice to have a wielder who would truly stop and spend the time to appreciate the complexities behind his uses. Most of his wielders were leaders who offloaded the process to their followers.

"Now, Marinette, it's time for the next part of your training. You have been told all of the basics, so now I'm going to need you to transform, start feeling out emotions and interact with your butterfly." The kwami landed on her other shoulder. "Your parents are gone to restock, so you will have a few hours to get used to it. Don't forget, it's perfectly alright to be overwhelmed the first time, especially since you're in the capital and there are so many people around."

She nodded nervously and walked back into her room, closing behind her, then sat on her bed. She breathed in, a fluttery feeling on her stomach, and looked at Nooroo.

"A-Alright then." Please don't let her mess up again..."Nooroo, Wings Rise!" The kwami gave her an encouraging nod before being sucked into the miraculous and, in a flash of lavender butterflies, Marinette transformed.

Her very first thought was that she didn't feel any different. Then, after an instant, it was as if her brain and heart were crushed by a tsunami of foreign colors and feelings. Sadness, happiness, anger, fear, hatred, love, and so many others that were melding together. She was barely aware that she fell on her back, but was more worried about the fact that she was being swallowed up and couldn't breathe, because Paris itself was trying to force it way in- She choked, clutching at her throat to try and ease off her breathing as her eyes burned and her brain felt like ti was melting, but it never ended- It felt like an eternity, the constant pressure never eased off, threatening to tear her apart, and Marinette was buried beneath it all until she remembered one piece of advice.

She  _ stepped back _ , and suddenly her room came back into focus. Marinette sobbed as she recovered the ability to breathe and stared at the ceiling, trying to wipe her tears.

Then, after giving herself a minute or so to gather herself, she sat up on her bed and looked at her alarm clock. Only five minutes had passed. She shuddered. It felt so much longer... Still, too much depended on her pulling it off, she couldn’t afford to give up now. She jumped off the bed and walked up to her mirror to look at herself. Her outfit was actually pretty close to what she imagined.

Seeing as she would be stuck out of direct conflict during her temporary partnership with Nooroo and that she probably needed some levels of subterfuge, Marinette had decided to go all out and design her superhero costume as an evening dress.

She was wearing long white gloves that reached just under her shoulders, and a pure white bodysuit covering everything underneath her collarbone. The dress itself was made of two layers. The top one was a darker shade of purple and left her shoulders bare, tied behind her neck, with a dipping neckline, two black ribbons under her ribs and over her hips to accentuate her waist and a high slit on her right hip. The lighter colored second layer was barely visible and made of a very airy and fluttery material, its ruffled top reaching her collarbone and the rest peeking from under the slit in the darker layer, though it was also slitted, revealing the white bodysuit underneath. On her right hip, on top of the slit, sat a large fabric butterfly, with two long and frilly tails reaching town to her ankles and fluttering around with her every movement. Around her neck, she wore a ribbon from which dangled a copy of her miraculous, while on her face sat a mask in the shape of a monarch butterfly's top wings. Her hair was done in a side bun from which peeked hand-sized butterfly wings. The miraculous itself was tucked securely inside of her bun for stealth purposes.

Marinette looked at herself, then moved around testing her costume. The only skin shown was that of her shoulders, as well as her collar, neck and part of her face, but the design itself was pretty mature... She couldn't help but giggle a bit. Hopefully she would manage to save Tikki soon, but considering that she would need months if not hears of preparations for her to get the most out of her current miraculous, maybe she could get away with passing herself off as older than she was.

On the bed was a silvery cane with a bejeweled top, a butterfly knotted ribbon running across the length. She slowly pulled out the top and the ribbon turned silvery, wrapping around her hand and suddenly, she was holding a rapier. She probably would need some lessons for that...

Satisfied with what she saw, she sheathed her rapier, turning it back into a cane, turned towards the butterfly and called it. It obeyed docilely, landing on her cane's jewel. She then had it fly in multiple directions and make several aerial manoeuvers. Those butterflies could be pretty agile and this one at least responded to her commands almost eagerly. She closed her eyes and tried to see through its eyes to no avail. It seemed that she would need to connect to the emotional network to do so. She sighed, looking at the butterfly who was just slowly beating its wings sitting on top of the jewel.

It looks like she'd need a lot more training…

* * *

  
  
  


When she arrived at class, Marinette noticed that, instead of the usual argument, people were huddling around a very proud-looking Alya, Lila on her right apparently busy linking herself to the source of all the attention. On the far end of the room, she saw Rose and Juleka, sitting a mere desk away from her. Did they change seats to get closer to her? Marinette shook her head, but couldn't keep herself from smiling when Rose noticed her and gave her a big, enthusiastic wave, beckoning further. Marinette was about to walk in her direction when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

"Hi Marinette!" Adrien Agreste, second of his name, smiled at her, which left her feeling pretty perplexed. Why would he talk to her now?

"Hello Adrien." She answered, waiting for him to continue, only for him to never do so. "...I don't want to sound rude, but was there something you wanted? We never really talked before." And wasn't that a theme nowadays?

He just smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing much, I just heard about how you broke Juleka's curse. It was very nice of you to reach out like you did." Lila gave out a particularly loud laugh on the side and his eyes drifted towards her for a moment, before settling back on Marinette. "I also heard you managed to befriend my brother somehow... I'm glad you did, that way he's not alone. I know he can be difficult sometimes, but he's a nice person deep down. He won't really let me approach because I'm always with Lila, so that's reassuring to know he has at least someone to rely on." The green eyed boy smiled sweetly at her and Marinette was blasted with the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia. It was so easy to think of him as only Lila's arm accessory, even though he was his own person and the boy she used to love... Maybe even a bit too easy, but that was something she would have to ponder on later. Marinette smiled back at him.

"It's no problem, really, but thanks anyways. And thanks for looking out for Juleka, too." The blond smiled back and rubbed his neck bashfully, before speaking up again.

"Hey, if it's not too much of a bother, would you be okay to hang out with our group sometimes? I've caught Alya and Nino looking at you, and you seem so nice, it's a bit of a shame I didn't get to know you more earlier." He asked hopefully, while Marinette had to force her smile to remain on her face. This... This was going to be a problem. Thankfully, the situation was taken out of her hand as Lila flounced in their direction, interrupting the conversation.

"What are you two talking about? Something interesting?" She smiled, showing her teeth and subtly warning Marinette off. Why didn't she outright attack-Oh. 

Marinette and Lila weren't feuding Before the memories came back, so Lila instead attacked Chloé. That was a strange, strange feeling.

"Hello Lila, and nothing much, we were talking about his brother, but it looks like something interesting happened over here?" Marinette looked at Alya in question while the dark skinned girl looked between Adrien and her dubiously. She better not be thinking what Marinette thought she thought because she might have to do something drastic if she did.

Lila took the bait though, and puffed up, latching onto Adrien -Don't think about the octopus don't think about the octopus don't think about the- and giving Marinette a saccharine smile.

"Oh, yes, Alya's reporter sense was right once again and she found the most interesting story!"

"As interesting as it is, however, it will have to wait after class, girls." Miss Bustier entered the classroom, smiling at the fact everybody was getting along. Marinette took the opportunity to make her escape towards the back of the room and did her usual thing.

* * *

  
  


After the classes finished, Rose walked up to her and looked at her with her hopeful expression number 4 'I found out something interesting for both of us and please spend some time with me'. Rose had many hopeful expressions, so much that her repertoire threatened to rival Felix' grumpy one.

" There's a sale at Madeleine's and I was wondering if you could come with Juleka and I, we were planning to go for ice cream after that and she said Luka would bring Felix too!"

Well. Now,  _ that _ , she had to see. Marinette smiled and nodded. Having Felix and Luka interact together was always a treat.

"Of course I'll come Rose, I was out of tulle anyways." The blonde clapped her hands excitedly.

"Oh, you're making a new project? what is it? Is it a dress? Is it  _ pink _ ?" The girl came closer with every question she had and Marinette hummed.

"Do you remember that magazine you showed me with Jagged Stone and all the other rock artists? It gave me a few ideas and while I wanted to wait a bit more, do you think you two could model for me?" Marinette asked, forcing her thoughts not to stray towards male fashion and possible models, while Rose squealed excitedly.

"Yes! All the yes! We're going to have a sleepover and dress up and have our own fashion show!" she turned around and hugged Juleka. "Say yes please? I'll bring all the soda you want!" 

The taller girl smiled slightly but nodded, causing the smaller one to clap her hands once more.

"It's decided then, sleepover this weekend at Marinette's! I'll finally get to raid your Closet of Wonders!" She pointed at Marinette dramatically, causing the girl to shake her head.

"It's just a normal closet, Rose."

She wondered what Rose's parents had to say about it, considering she seemed always free to do whatever she wanted, but she had a feeling that asking it right now would just ruin the cheer. Was it Nooroo at work or just her imagination?

"Marinette's closet will have to wait." Juleka said, pointing at the classroom's entrance. 

Oh, Marinette thought. The boys were here. 

Luka was gesticulating, communicating with Juleka in the Couffaine Sign Language while Felix was crossing his arms and looking at the hallway, ignoring everyone in the class. She walked up to him as Rose babbled excitedly about the newest plan to the musician, and put her hand on his forearm. Looking at him more closely, he looked less well put together than usual and his eyes were squinting a bit.

"Did you miss sleep again Felix?" She asked softly, causing the boy to look at her.

"Deadlines." He said, and the both of them shuddered. "And before you ask, I'm out of velvet, so I will go along with this farce of a get-together to save myself some time." He huffed, scowling when Luka slapped his shoulder.

" No need to look so sour Felix, it will ruin your good looks!" Marinette felt a rush of amusement as her kitty began walking out of the room, muttering something she couldn't hear, but that had Luka greatly amused, apparently. Feeling impish, Marinette jogged toward shim until she walked besides the blond, holding her hands behind her back and leaning forwards.

"I do agree with Luka on your good looks." She teased, feeling greatly pleased when a dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks.

"You realize I'm going to get back at you for it." He said, almost airily and Marinette shivered in anticipation.

"Do you worst, kitten, I'm looking forward to it~" 

Felix's frown gave place to a faint, thin smile as he grabbed her hand and leaned forwards until his mouth was next to her ear. In public. In front of the  _ entire class _ who was watching her through the doorway

"I'm afraid you're a bit too new to fight me on equal footing,  _ my Lady _ ." He murmured as people began making a lot of noise behind them. He then let go of her hand and began walking down the hallway, while the stunned girl took a few seconds to remember she had to keep him from running away from their friend group.

"Felix! Come back here you coward!" She shouted as she ran after him. 

  
  


* * *

Mylène blinked, trying to make sense of what she saw. Next to her, Ivan, the love of her life and boy she couldn't bring herself to confess her feelings to, scratched his head.

"Who was that?" She asked, and it was Adrien who answered.

"My older brother Felix. Marinette and him are really good friends!" He said brightly and Alya smiled, though it seemed a bit forced.

"Adrien, honey, believe me when I say I know friendship and that wasn't it." The poor boy looked so confused at that.

"Dude, they're totally dating." Nino took pity on them and explained out loud what everybody thought.

"Isn't it good though?" Mylene found herself asking as Rose, Juleka and the other boy ran out of class to catch up with the duo.

"Oh, for sure." Alya nodded decisively. "Better she crushes on him than Adrien." She said as Lila hugged the blond possessively. Mylène didn't really think anything about it one way or another, Marinette and her weren't close, and while she knew she should be happy for the other girl, She couldn't help but feel envious as she peeked at Ivan.

"Now, Alya, what was it I heard about you helping the police dismantle a drug smuggling operation" Lila said a bit too loudly as her free arm tugged on Alya's wrist.

"Girl, you have  _ no idea _ ..." The reporter began talking animatedly and soon, everyone forgot about Marinette to focus on half of the class' celebrity couple.

Still, she wondered, why was Adrien frowning like that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a braaaaand neeeeew daaaaaaaay~
> 
> Slice of life! Flirting! Very Good Friends (TM) Business! 
> 
> Oh, and the pebbles are starting to roll, I guess. Gotta watch out for the avalanche.
> 
> Had to happen, setting the bases for the guillotine, you know?


	6. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix calls Lila fat, Luka's band is slowly forming, Marinette's plan goes horribly right and Nooroo prays for Plagg to bring them salvation.

This evening, Felix came back with a few armfuls of brand new velvet, with a few meters of satin and a bolt of silk. He ignored the odd looks thrown his way with dignity and came back home to see that that man was waiting in the entrance. Part of Felix just rolled its eyes at the obvious power play while another screamed in rage because once upon a time, he'd done his level best to warrant this level of attention and yet, his best was never enough. The man remained silent and the blond decided that if he had nothing to say, he'd just be on his way, because he could spy from the corner of his eye his bodyguard tiring from carrying his purchases.

Of course, that man couldn't abide being ignored and cleared his throat, obviously expecting Felix to admit his guilt or apologize or whatever he'd done that the man would find fault with now, but the teen had no intention to indulge him and just walked past him ignoring him.

"Felix." He finally gave up and spoke out. "What is this." He stated, more than he asked, and Felix had to repress a groan. While he wasn't stupid enough to sass that man right off the bad, it was a close thing.

"I accompanied a friend that needed to restock for supplies and decided to take advantage of a sale in that particular shop. Rest assured, I am still well within budget for the projects you have me do, Father. That said, I need to go back to them. Good evening." He nodded, walking off as quickly as he could without running to avoid the man stopping him again. Sadly, the door opened at that exact moment and a surprised Nathalie found herself accidentally barring his road.

"A...Friend." The amount of surprise in his voice was downright insulting. Felix wasn't that bad at socializing, he just usually found that people were too annoying to interact with on a regular basis!

That man, however, ignored Felix' inner offense and narrowed his eyes.

"A Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I assume?" His inner Chat's hackles raised defensively at the man's tone.

"Father, let us stop wasting each other's time and just ask what you want of me. These projects are not going to finish themselves on their own and I would think that you of all people would respect that."

... In his defense, Neither Adrien, Chat or Felix were very patient by nature. The fact he hated the man didn't help any and he knew, when the useless donor of half of his genetic material frowned, that he had stepped over one of Gabriel Agreste's web of 'lines not to cross'.

"Indeed. You will stop interacting with Miss Dupain-Cheng. She is an aspiring designer and will take advantage of you to further her career. You are my heir. I will not have you become her stepping stone. Furthermore, I do not appreciate your lip, which, certainly, is something she must have been encouraging in you.."

Wa..Was he serious? Felix faintly heard Nathalie groan and the sound of flesh hitting flesh indicative of a discreet facepalm. Of course, he ignored that wildly out of character occurence, so distracted was he by the rising feeling of uncontrollable anger.

"Considering Marinette and I have known each other for years now, as you would know if you behaved even  _ an iota _ more like the father you are supposed to be rather than like an employer, if she wanted to take advantage of me, she would have done so long ago, I assure you. Why, just take a look at that Rossi tart for a live example, but yet again, that she would be taking so many liberties is to be expected since you've been essentially  _ whoring my little brother out _ to her."

The air immediately froze. He heard faint gasps and realized that it was Nathalie, and his mother, who just arrived, but he seriously couldn't care less at this moment.

"I don't know what you want with Rossi, and I don't want to know that's the exact nature of her relationship with her, but you will keep yourself and your proclivities  _ away  _ from me and mine if all you are going to do is bother me about who teenage girls choose to spend their time with and in what fashion!" He thundered, as he nudged Nathalie out of the way, and opened the door. "I have no time to waste on such petty business, thanks to you, so I will appreciate you staying out of my business." He turned around, glaring at the man, before walking out, spitting a last parting comment. "I'm getting piercings." The idea alone of his perfect heir turning delinquent would be punishment enough for the man.

As he entered his bedroom, his angry expression turned smug and Inner Chat gave him a pat on the back for a work well done. Now that that man was going to stay away for a few hours in order to figure out how to proceed, Felix now had a window of opportunity to further the plan without drawing any suspicion. Mother and Nathalie should remain with him, so that meant...

He heard a soft knocking noise against his door and heard Adrien's voice.

"Umh, Felix? Do you have a minute?"

The older blond immediately picked up a nearby carton of superhero comics, deliberately let it fall and watched as the comics spilled out, spreading to cover the floor. He sighed loudly, as if frustrated, and answered.

"I do. Close the door behind you." He said he leaned down to start picking up what he dropped.

Adrien entered the room, looking behind him.

"No Lila you really shouldn't come with-Oh" He looked at Felix, who was, as usual, trying to set Polpa Rossi on fire with his mind. "Did I come at a bad time?" He asked timidly and this time, Felix sighed for real.

"Any time is a bad time recently, thanks to that man and your pet octopus. What do you want." He gritted out, eyes not leaving the current bane of his existence. The last thing he needed was for her to snoop around. Speaking of which. "If you put your hands on that ball gown, I  _ will  _ stab them with my knitting needles."

Polpa's hands immediately flew to her chest and she looked at him with wide eyes, ready to tear up while Adrien looked torn between defending the octopus and confusion.

"But your knitting needles are all dull..." He said, and Felix' grin was nothing short of demonic. He'd practice in front of a mirror four hours to nail that tone down and he was very proud of it.

"Indeed. Just  _ imagine  _ the amount of stabbing it would take to actually pierce the skin, hmmm?" Adrien was looking slightly pale now, and Rossi took a step back.

"A-Anyways... The class and I are going to throw a party to celebrate Alya's article that allowed the police to arrest all those criminals this Saturday evening... And, well, I know you don't like strangers but-" Felix raised a hand.

"Let me stop you right here. This Saturday evening is when Miss Dupain-Cheng has a sleepover with miss Couffaine and Miss Lavillant. I assume they haven't been invited then." Rossi rolled her eyes. "That's all I needed to know. You may be my brother, Adrien, but I will not willingly lock myself up with a horde of idiotic children and the octopus without at least a few matches, some gasoline and several stabbing implements."

Adrien winced and Polpa glared at him.

"You're so mean..." She whined exaggeratedly, and the older blond threw a look of disgust.

"And you, are a fashion-inept, Mentally challenged, incompetent ladder-climbing slattern who decided hair sausages were an appropriate fashion statement.  _ Your point _ , Rossi?" He didn't give her any time to answer. "None? Then by all means, see yourself out before I get my scissors to remedy to your existence being an insult to my sense of aesthetics. Yet again, you could probably use some running." He looked down at her exposed thighs, the implication obvious.

Adrien sighed.

"Lila.. Let's just go, we got what we were here for." Rossi turned to him, looking betrayed.

"Are you going to let him talk to me like that?!" She screeched, pointing at him, while he began rolling his scissors between his fingers.

"Trust me, this is him being nice." Adrien shook his head, eyes widening when Felix presented him with the carton of comics.

"I have finished using those as reference material and have no desire to clutter my room further with those. Keep them or dispose of them, I don't care." Felix huffed as Adrien took the box with a tentative smile, eyes taking on a shine as he saw what the comics were about.

"How did you know I liked superheroes?" Behind him, Rossi scoffed, and Felix himself shrugged, crossing his arms.

"Unlike that useless waste of space that is supposed to be our paternal unit, I  _ do  _ pay attention when you run around with a rowel on your back and shouting that you are Superman." Mostly because, somewhere in his Dark History of being Adrien, he did so too.

Adrien looked deeply touched and positively beamed at Felix, who was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"I love them, thanks Felix!"

"Yes, well, don't let the door hit you on the way back, will you? And take the octopus with you." He grumbled and looked away. Seriously, the things he had to do for the plan.

"Will do!" The boy left the room, the fact he was holding a box meaning Rossi couldn't latch onto him as she usually did, and from the glare she threw at him, she knew it too. He smirked in answer, tilted his head, and in his hand, snipped at the air with his scissors.

Rossi nearly teleported out of the room.

Felix sighed and closed his eyes, his entire frame sagging, utterly exhausted. He then took out his phone and pressed on a specific contact as he put his phone to his ear. He waited for a few seconds, then spoke as the other person picked up the phone.

"Couffaine. Would you mind giving me a list of salons you would recommend in order to get my ears pierced?"

On the other side of the phone, Luka Couffaine sat up straighter on his bed, an excited grin on his face.

"Only if you take me up on my offer of playing music together." He countered.

"Deal." was the immediate answer and Felix hung back, causing Luka to shake his head.

He didn't know what had Felix so scared of letting himself become close to him, despite his obvious-In the musician's opinion- desire to, but music was a wonderful medium to bring people closer, so that way Luka hoped he would manage to make the other teen comfortable with his presence enough to call him friend out loud. 

After all, the blond could just have searched on the internet instead of asking him.

* * *

  
  


Marinette was nervous. 

Today was the day they had sports, and the fake Fox Miraculous weighted heavily in her bag. She had a plan that Felix and TIkki helped her with, with several contingencies and fallbacks in case of failure, but it still didn't help with her nerves. She knew Alya always carried the Miraculous on her person, save for two very specific time periods, the time when she was warming up at the very beginning of the lesson and the time she showered after sports. The very first step to enacting this plan led her to Miss Bustier. Today was the day she usually gave out tests for all of her classes and, as always, she seemed to be struggling with the weight of the several stacks of paper on top of her own school supplies. As the other students were leaving the room, Marinette dropped a transparent plastic sheet on the path Miss Bustier usually used and waited until everyone was gone to strike a conversation.

"Uhm... Miss bustier? I know I have to run to sports but I didn't have as much time as usual to work on my lessons and I have this question I'm really worried about, I know it sounds stupid but I can't relax not knowing and-" The teacher interrupted her, getting up and carrying her papers in front of her.

"Oh, don't worry Marinette, I've read your test and I can tell you you have full marks, as expected from my star stud-Aah?!" Distracted as she was by Marinette and with her visibility reduced by the tests, Caline Bustier didn't see the plastic sheet and tripped on it, sending her papers flying. 

"Miss Bustier!" Marinette, feeling rotten about what she had to do, pounced and grabbed the woman's wrists and dug her heels in to keep her from hurting herself in the fall. Marinette gave out a slight groan from the strain and, due to the shock, felt her wrist slowly sliding out of its socket.

"Hmmmmm!" She screamed in her mouth, the sound resembling a whine, and Miss Bustier found her footing back, looking mighty upset.

"Why do the first row students always insist on litter-Marinette? Are you alright?" The woman looked at the girl who was cradling her wrist. "Let me have a look at that, this is the least I could do and, oh dear, it's dislocated." Caline bit her lip, before putting a hand on the girl's forearm. "Marinette? I'm going to have to ask you to be very brave and obey what I said, alright?" Marinette nodded, breathing in and out slowly. "Alright. I'm going to put it back in place, so try to relax." After a few moments of the professor trying to find a way to grab onto Marinette's hand to cause her the minimum amount of pain possible, she pulled, re-aligning the member with a wet plop. Marinette Gave out another loud whine and breathed more erratically, but otherwise remained remarkably steady.

"Th-Thanks Miss Bustier..." She said quietly and Caline smiled at her, putting her hand on her shoulder. 

"Thank  _ you  _ Marinette. I could have been badly hurt by that fall, even though in the end you were the one that was hurt." She said a bit mournfully.

"It's fine Miss Bustier... though I don't think that I can practice like that." She cradled her wrist thinking fast. The original plan was to help her gather her papers to give herself an alibi, but she could certainly use that too. The woman nodded understandingly.

"I wouldn't want you to. Let me gather those and I'll take you to the infirmary to get you checked out."

* * *

  
  


Half an hour later, Marinette was following Miss Bustier to her sports class, her wrist in a splint to avoid straining it any more.

"It's very responsible of you to want to be there for the lesson Marinette, but really, I could have written you an excuse note. "The woman told her. "Besides- Ah, here we are." She looked up and saw the sports teacher. "Denis, a word if you would?" The man approached looking at Marinette, then at her arm and nodded. "There was a bit of an incident and I had to take Marinette to the infirmary. I know you've probably marked her as absent, but the nurse should hopefully overrule that. Do you think she could still sit here and observe?"

"An incident?" The man asked and Caline coughed behind her fist, looking a bit embarrassed.

"I tripped over something a student left lying around when I wasn't paying attention and Marinette saved me from a hard fall, but she hurt her wrist in the process."

"Woah, You okay there Mari? ." A voice piped up and the three turned around to see that Max was peering at her wrist. "Dislocated, right?" He asked and Marinette nodded. "Always a biiii-" He looked at the teachers and immediately censored himself."-t hard to deal with. Hey teach, since we're doing team matches anyways, think we can have her keep the scores? Would give her something to do instead of sitting and being bored."

The sports professor nodded.

"Good idea Kim. Thank you for telling me, Caline." He smiled at the woman who smiled back and Marinette followed the sports-oriented student towards the rest of the class.

"What happened?" The boy asked and Marinette flushed.

"I was talking to miss Bustier about my grades and someone from the front row dropped a plastic sheet and didn't pick it up, so she tripped on it and I caught her but..." She gave a pointed look at the splint. "It didn't exactly work out well."

"Huh. Rad." Kim looked at Marinette a bit more intently. "That was manly or you!" He concluded, and that was that as they reached the rest of the class.

"Girl, you're late!" Alya laughed, before her eyes zeroed in on her arm and her expression changed to dead serious. "Marinette, you got hurt?"

Startled by the whiplash, the half-Asian girl tried to wave in front of her to signal that she was fine, but her wrist throbbed and she winced. Kim bopped her on the head.

"Don't move it or you'll make it worse Mari." Alya's eyes turned towards the taller boy and she began grilling him for answers while Nino did his best to keep her from getting too aggressive. Max and Alix began piping in, while Rose and Juleka approached Marinette, looking a bit concerned.

Adrien was listening in, and looking at Marinette consideringly, while Lila was inserting herself in the conversation, no doubt to regale them with the tale of her rescuing an orphaned albino platypus from a forest fire in the Empire State Building or something similar.

"Alright kids, back to the lesson." The sports teacher called out, and the discussion died down as the lesson took place. Marinette helped keep score and observed the proceedings, preparing herself for the second phase of 'Operation: Trixx'.

As the lesson finished, the teacher called out for the students to leave, save for Alya and Max, who were designated as volunteers to clean up the balls. Alya pouted and looked mournfully at the locker room and when the teacher left, Marinette knew it was her time to strike.

"Uhm... Alya?" She asked, and the reporter looked at him.

"Yeah?"

"I figured that since I didn't really do anything, I could take over for you?" She said, not faking her hesitation for once, and feeling a wave of nostalgia as Alya's eyes lit up.

"You'd do that?" She then deflated. "I'm not sure it's a good idea... Your wrist..."

Marinette took off her bag and handed it off to her.

"Mhm. The balls are light enough, I can handle them! That is, if you don't mind bringing my bag with you to the lockers? It would be annoying to do it while carrying it..."

Alya carefully took the bag from her.

"Well, if you're sure..."

"I  _ am _ sure." Marinette nodded decisively, before beginning to make shooing motions with her good hand. " Now shoo or you won't have time to dry off your hair, can't have our ace reporter be defeated by a cold of all things."

That last push was all Alya needed and she grinned.

"Thanks girl, you're the best!" she ran towards the locker room carrying Marinette's bag with her, leaving the girl and Max to take care of the cleanup.

* * *

  
  


Alya was humming as she arrived at the locker room and noticed Lila had already gone to the showers. 

She was in high spirits! After that blunder the first week, she was afraid she'd spooked Marinette away, what with the mix up about her memories. Truthfully, Alya felt sad that her girl and her weren't friends here. It was strange, really, to see Marinette alone and if she were to be honest, she felt a bit jealous when Rose and Juleka began befriending her. Alya felt scared when she saw Marinette and Adrien interact in front of Lila, only for her to be utterly and completely floored by the fact that the girl had zero romantic interest in the class' resident sunshine child, though that explained why she wasn't feuding with Lila either, if she didn't let her jealousy over the Italian and Adrien's relationship get in the way of their friendship.

Marinette was quieter and more aloof than she remembered, which ALya considered to be a shame, but only now did she realize two important facts that had her reeling.

First was that, quieter or not, Marinette was still Marinette, the class' everyday Ladybug in a world where Ladybug never existed. 

Juleka's curse was real. Alya had tried for months before giving up in her memories, and Trixx was proof enough that magic existed and still, it took Marinette ten seconds flat to solve it. Just like that. Even now, when Alya thought her tardiness was beginning to leak out from one world to another, she then learned that it was because she saved their teacher, because of course Marinette would do that, that girl rivaled Alya from the previous world to sniff out those situations.

The other one, and Alya couldn't help but beat herself up for it was, well...

Marinette was just a civilian, she wasn't invincible, the fact she was Marinette didn't make her any less human than anyone else and, after all those police cases she'd been on and seeing how the class looked at LIla as if she was a flawless idol...

She couldn't imagine the amount of pressure Marinette must have been under, the perpetually nervous girl swamped by responsibilities, all while Hawkmoth terrorized the class, and she was expected to be fine with everything, stand up to Chloe, help everyone, and watch as Adrien and Lila gradually came closer to each other...

Alya had been akumatized, repeatedly, for much less.

Only after having lost her and found her again did she realize how great her friend truly was and yet, instead of barreling back in her life full throttle and burying the smaller girl under all the friendship she rightfully deserved, she found that she couldn't call out to her or reach for her hand.

She had a great professional life, her relationship with Nino was at an all time high and Lila was so interesting and introduced her to so many people. Her life was loud and bright and colorful!

And yet...

Alya sighed, putting Marinette's bag on the bench as she took off her accessories and reached for her shower products.

And yet, she wondered, why didn't she feel as happy as she knew she should?

A small noise attracted her attention and she saw her Miraculous on the floor. It had probably fallen. She leaned down, picked it up, and put it in her small accessory bag, before putting said bag in her locker. She shook her head.

She really needed that shower to clear up her thoughts, she decided, promising herself to try harder to bring Marinette into the fold.

She missed her old friend.

* * *

In a compartment hidden in the fake bottom of Marinette's bag, Nooroo held onto the Fox Miraculous, trying to calm his heartbeat. 

That was nerve wracking!

Still, the butterfly relaked, looking at Marinette's first butterfly, the plan thankfully worked.

The Fox miraculous was the one they couldn't afford to leave to the enemy after all.

* * *

  
  


After her shower, was drying her hair when she saw Marinette come back in the locker room, the other girls milling about and smiled at her, pointing to the bag.

"Here you go. Thanks again for that, I really needed the shower." Marinette tilted her head, then smiled sweetly at her.

"It's alright Alya. I won't tell you not to pursue your dreams, but please remember to take some ‘you’ time to relax? Being at one hundred percent all the time is probably exhausting for you, so please take care of yourself?"

The reporter blinked. If Marinette was engaging the caretaking protocols, then Alya must have been really tired.

"Awww thanks for that girl, really." Then her smile turned a bit more conspiratorial. "Soooo... I thought you had a thing for sunshine child, but a little birdie told me you have a thing for his older brother?" Marinette's cheeks pinked cutely and she looked away, though Alya noted she didn't panic. Maybe it was because they were both older? "Come on girl, you can't have your boyfriend come and collect you in front of the entire class and not expect me to ask you for the deets!" She whined and Marinette narrowed her eyes at her, crossing her arms.

"What Felix and I are up to are our business only. You wouldn't want people to bug you about what Nino and you are up to when the two you go off on your own, right?" Awwwwww she was getting defensive.

"Hey, I wasn't really asking for details, though if you have some tips, what with you dating an  _ older _ boy." Alya wriggled her eyebrows. "But I wanted to know things like, how did you meet, how long have the two of you been dating, that kind of thing."

"You're not going to give up until I give you something, are you?" The girl muttered mulishly and Alya basked in her annoyance.

"Nope~. Now, spit it out." 

Marinette sighed, before looking at her seriously.

"Fine, but Felix and I are private people Alya, I don't want to hear everybody talking about it."

Alya nodded quickly and Marinette's blush came back.

"F-Fine... Well, to begin with, the official version isn't exactly true... It's pretty funny actually, Felis and I started talking on the same day Adrien transferred." Alya's eyebrows raised at that.

"Huh. Quick question, who did you meet first, that guy or our sunshine child?" It couldn't be that stupid, right...?

"Uhm... Felix, why?" She asked a bit nervously and Alya's brain exploded. 

"Nevermind me, continue." Holy shit, it really  _ was  _ as stupid as 'who talked to Marinette first'!

"Alright... Well, after that, we've gotten to know one another... There was that incident where we both had alt accounts on another forum, and I was crushing on Felix, while he was crushing on my alter ego... It kind of carried on for years." She scratched her pink cheeks while Alya put her hand to her lips to keep herself from laughing.

"It's not funny! I couldn't even talk to him straight at the beginning, I was a complete mess!" Marinette whined.

"I can see that. So, what changed?" Alya finally got her laughter under control.

"Felix arrived, and we met at a park when we were both looking for inspiration, we ended up talking designs and that's when we realized who the other was and, uhhm... I guess things carried on from there?" She asked more than she said, and Alya gave up and hugged the smaller girl, squeezing her between her arms.

"How cute~" She cooed then released her and looked at her enthusiastically. " That means you've been dating for what, two weeks top? " And then, Marinette squirmed.

Oh hell no, that was the 'Yes but no' squirm of the Marinette of indecision.

"Giiiirlll... Have you even gone on a date yet?" Alya narrowed her eyes and Marinette looked down.

"It never really came up and we're comfortable with what we have and we're both busy..."

"Have you two kissed?" She asked, and Marinette's red faced squeal was answer enough. Her eyes narrowed. Now, normally, she'd trust Marinette's judgement, but it was the other one she didn't trust.

In fact, all of her data pointed to a hypothesis she really didn't like.

"I see." Was all she said as she began plotting. Marinette looked about to explode, so pushing her would be useless, however, she couldn't let her former best friend get taken advantage of, especially by that blond icicle!

  
  


In the school bag, Nooroo's eyes widened as he listened in on the girl's train of thoughts and slowly hugged the Fox Miraculous tighter.

" _Plagg have mercy on all of us because Tikki sure won't_...." The small being whispered in horror as Marinette got her bag and carried on with her school day, unknowing of the fact Alya was probably going to get herself murdered by his master's angry boyfriend.

* * *

That evening, Marinette finally came back to her room emotionally exhausted from having to dig in her old wounds to summon the strength to talk to Alya. She laid on her bed, looking at the ceiling, and Nooroo floated up to her, patting her forehead.

"Trixx can wait for the night, Marinette. Just rest for now, you've done enough today."

Marinette hummed and curled around her cat pillow, soon going to sleep. Nooroo waited until her breathing evened out to float to her phone and unlock it, looking around until he found Felix' contact. Itt took him a while, but he managed to type a message to the boy to ask for a call with the others.

Soon enough, Not only Felix, but Duusuu and Tikki came into view. The blond looked both angry and frustrated at something, which seemed to be commonplace with him nowadays, but his blue eyes focused when he saw Nooroo.

"Did something happen?" He asked, and Nooroo's wings shrugged.

"Marinette was tired, so I had her go to bed early." Tikki's eyes bore into his soul through the phone, then, after a few seconds, she smiled.

"Right..." He fluttered nervously, trying to avoid being judged. " We have managed to do the swap, though Marinette strained her wrist while executing the plan... She's okay! WIll be as good as new by the time weekend comes by!" He immediately reassured the others. " But I'm a bit concerned, because I think Alya got the wrong idea about Felix so he should be careful..." Nooroo repeated the encounter as well as his reads on her emotions, and Felix' expression slowly but surely turned thunderous while Tilli's smile strained. She patted the blond on the arm.

"All in due time, Chat." Her saccharine voice sent chills down his spine and all Nooroo could think was  _ oh Plagg she was corrupting Gabriel's son _ \- Nooroo immediately killed the thought. Just because his old master was a terrible man didn't mean that the boy would turn out that way!

"Still, all of this is good. We have confirmation beyond doubt that Alya does remember the old world." She spoke slowly, the lack of bubbles meaning her restrictions stopped getting in the way "And Felix is -blblblbllblbl-" And here were the bubbles. TIkki paused and cleared her throat. "Felix is investigating. Felix, no details, but tell Nooroo." The blond nodded and looked at something, probably a sheet.

"From what I managed to gather from Tikki and Plagg, there were five people, including that man, when the wishes were made. Out of them five, the guaranteed are Hawkmoth and Mayura. Rossi almost certain, but..." Felix closed his eyes and breathed, calming himself down. "How much can you hide from Marinette." He finally asked, and Nooroo frowned.

"Why?" The kwami asked, while the boy looked away.

"Because the full truth right now when she's learning to handle you could destroy her."

Nooroo stilled, then hesitated. He was curious, but as a kwami he had a duty to serve his wielder and help them grow...

"Will... Will Marinette getting closer to Alya affect anything, considering those facts?" He finally asked, and Felix nodded, causing Nooroo to frown.

"Tell me everything." He said firmly, and Felix nodded.

"From what I have gathered, only the wish makers can fully remember what happened in the old world. Former miraculous wielders will get impressions and retain a sense of familiarity, but if they can remember..." He trailed off and Nooroo frowned.

"Then there is an incredibly high likelihood of them being wish makers." Felix nodded.

"Hawkmoth and Mayura, Cobra... Nino and Alya. Those are the five who gathered to wish upon Plagg and Tikki."

  
".. _.What _ ?" A faint voice interrupted the silence. Nooroo stilled and whirled around, looking at Marinette's horrified expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Braaaaaand neeeew daaaaaaay (not even 1 AM)
> 
> Sorry for the cliffhanger but it was getting super long and I had to make the cut *somewhere*
> 
> Here we finally have an explanation for some of the previous scenes with Felix, who is a very angry boy.
> 
> The first of five is left defenseless. Now, how will Karma be served, I wonder...


	7. Opening Moves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The onion ninjas are most fearsome foes, Felix' dubious morality is contagious and shots are fired.

Felix immediately cut off the call and jumped off his chair, pacing and sending a message to his classmate.

_Felix: Problem at Marinette's. Need to go. Mind being my alibi?_

_Luka: Need help?_

_Felix: Unsure. I'll buy dinner just in case._

_Luka: Got it. Telling mom._

_Luka: She said yes. Grabbing Juleka._

The blond pocketed his phone, nodded to the kwamis, who flew back into hiding, grabbed his bag and strode out of his room. It wasn't dinner time yet, but he'd rather be gone sooner rather than later. Looking around, he found Nathalie at her desk, typing something.

"We were given a school project to work on. I will be working with Luka for the next few hours and miss dinner." He passed by her and opened the door.

"You are supposed to be working on your piano-""Too bad, school first!" He interrupted her as he exited the building.

Walking along The streets, be put his phone to his ear to make the next call.

"Dupain-Cheng bakery, may I take your order?" Tom Dupain's voice reached his ears and he sighed in relief. Out of the two, he was the easier one to deal with.

"Mr. Dupain? Felix here." He forced his voice to remain cool and steady. 

"Oh, Felix! How are things going my boy?"

"They could be doing better. I apologize in advance for intruding in your house, but I called Marinette earlier and she didn't sound well, so I am calling you to tell you in advance that a few friends and I are coming to check up on her in person." He looked at the traffic lights and stopped until the pedestrian light turned green.

"What's wrong with Marinette?" The man immediately latched on what the teenager said, all joviality forgotten.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, but from what I have understood so far, it is school-related." It wasn't the exact truth, but it worked well enough as a technical one. The light turned green and he walked away.

"We'll leave the bakery door unlocked." Sabine's Cheng's voice was a bit distant, but clearly audible. The phone was on speakers, it seemed.

"Much appreciated. I will see you soon." He terminated the call after getting an answer back from the adults. He looked around, pondering a little, before passing by a to-go Chinese restaurant and placing ,and paying for, an order for a delivery. Once that was done, he hurried to his partner's house, to see that her parents were waiting nervously at the door.

"Thank you for coming here." Sabine looked worried. "She won't answer, but she keeps crying..." She said softly and Felix' lips thinned in displeasure.

"A few friends are coming later on, no need to bother yourself on our behalf with the catering, I have arranged for a delivery." The woman shook her head, smiling wanly.

"You shouldn't have, dearie, we're more than happy to cook for you..." What remained unsaid was that she thought he was too thin, something he actually agreed to, seeing as he was trying to put on some muscle.

"Perhaps, but I felt it unfair to force you to work more while also worrying about your child. Please take the evening off and take care of yourselves." He looked away, before slightly awkwardly looking at the direction his goal was. "I do not mean to seem rude, but may I..." He trailed off, and Marinette's parents nodded, moving aside and letting the teen in. He headed towards Marinette's room, grabbing a glass of water, and paused a moment, clearly hearing the sobbing even behind the trapdoor. He squashed his hesitation and entered.

Marinette looked terrible, Nooroo hovering over her and murmuring encouraging words. The two of them froze, then relaxed upon seeing her. Nooroo smiling gratefully while Marinette buried her face in her pillows once more. Felix let his bag fall onto the ground and carefully strode towards the bed, before sitting next to his partner. He let her cry for a few minutes, before nudging her.

"Marinette. You have to drink." He paused as the girl slowly turned towards him, looking from his glass to him, and Felix took the chance before she hid again. With one arm, he propped her up, and nudged her stomach with the bottom of the glass, until she finally gave up and took it, if only to kill off her hiccups. He remained silent as she tried to calm herself down, until she was silent enough for him to speak.

"Luka and his sister are on their way too, so we won't have much time to talk unless you want to tell them the truth." Marinette shook her head frantically. "That's what I thought."

"You..." Marinette hesitated, rubbing her swollen eyes. "Th-That's why you've been so angry, right?"

"Indeed. It took a bit more time than what I would have liked and there are a few things I am not yet certain of... Do you think you're well enough to talk about it?" The way Marinette glared at him was all Ladybug.

"Show me." She said with a steely voice and Felix reached into his pocket for a folded sheet of paper. His notes on the subject of the wish.

* * *

  
  


_[I wish to go back in time to undo my mistake] - Hawkmoth. Has been remembering for years, first major deviation being Aunt Amelie and cousin Felix' deaths. Mistake most likely caused Mother's disappearance and her being here meant she couldn't save her twin? Currently under the impression the butterfly miraculous is broken and unresponsive. Will most likely start using the peacock to draw out the butterfly the moment he realizes what happened. Currently wields the Black Cat Miraculous._

_[I wish for ###### to be saved and for ###### to be happy] - Nathalie (By elimination). Wished for Adrien and Mother's happiness, both have been too happy considering the current circumstances and odd things are happening around those two. Consecutive bouts of good fortune. In Mother's case, counteracts the bad. Mother currently wields the Ladybug Miraculous. Nathalie currently holds the Peacock Miraculous._

_[I wish to become a great ######## who can find great ####### easily! …] - Alya. Observations revealed Alya now has a supernatural sense to find interesting stories for her newspaper blog. Extremely dangerous in tandem with the Fox miraculous, must be neutralized first before going out in the open as miraculous wielders is possible. Her investigative power will need hampering, psychological pressure may need to be applied to reduce her sense of observation. High likelihood of damage once the Fox Miraculous is taken and she can't escape using it anymore. Current holder of the Fox Miraculous._

_[I wish that #### and # can be together forever] - Nino (By elimination). Likely wished for a better relationship with Alya, but the wish instead led them to stumble paths near-constantly. Got caught in a few incidents already. Not a threat should Alya be neutralized. Current holder of the Turtle Miraculous._

_[I wish to become a rich and famous celebrity! I wish to be the center of ######’s universe, and I wish for ####### to suffer. ] - Cobra / Lila. Wished to be the center of [Her Adrien]'s universe. Wish conflicted with Chat Noir's and resulted in my creation. Wished for either Marinette or Ladybug to suffer. Considering the streak of bad luck Mother suffered from, high likelihood the Ladybug Miraculous itself is cursed. Must be eliminated by_ ** any means necessary. ** _Current holder of the Snake Miraculous._

  
  


* * *

"Those are..." Marinette trailed off, eyes wide. Felix hummed in confirmation.

" 'Elimination'?" Felix hummed again, and Marinette looked concerned now.

"Chat... What happened?" She asked in concern. "Why does Lila have the snake miraculous?" 'What happened to Luka' was left unsaid, and Felix took in a shuddering breath.

"Are you sure you want to hear it now? It's not-""I'm already bawling my eyes out anyways, might as well do it all in one go." The girl giggle-sobbed, and the blond gave up and closed his eyes, allowing himself to flop onto the bed.

"Do you remember, two days before the incident? I called you as Chat with an odd request." He began, and Marinette lied down next to him.

"Mhm, you asked me to use Miraculous Ladybug? Because you cataclysmed something thinking an akuma was at work?"

"I lied." Felix said, causing Marinette's concern to grow. "I... I was doing my rounds late, Fa- _That man_ held me back for around an hour to talk about responsibilities again, and I was looking back around the Seine..." He gritted his teeth, obviously remembering and Marinette god closer to him, now very worried. " I was vaulting over an alley, misjudged the jump and fell off the roof." He continued, and Marinette felt a rising amount of dread that kept her from giggling at the picture. "And...and that's ... That's how I found Luka's corpse, covered in blood and dumped behind a pile of _garbage_." He finished in a whisper charged with all manners of dark emotions.

Marinette froze and she immediately sat up, as if stung.

"...What...?" She croaked, but Felix no longer listened to her.

"He had a knife jutting out from his back, just between two ribs, and from the angle, he was stabbed by someone smaller. I called you My Lady, I hoped it was a strange akuma at work but... The ladybugs didn't fix it... There was so much blood, and he looked in so much pain and I couldn't bear to see his face like that and the, what would all the others and you feel at that? So I..." Marinette hugged him, feeling her tears come back as the blond's breathing hitched. "I cataclysmed him, destroyed the corpse and the garbage and the alley. I know I made a mistake but all I could think about was how everyone would for sure be preyed upon by Hawkmoth if they found out one of ours died alone in an alley and how having him just be missing would be less painful than knowing he died because I couldn't even _stand up to that man long enough to do my duty_. If I had been faster, I could have joined up with him and he wouldn't have had to _die-_ " He took in a shuddering breath, visibly clamping down on what he wanted to say next. "Similarly, had I not been late to our patrol, I would have been able to call _that despicable wench_ out and save you from losing your miraculous, even if Rena Rouge and Carapace were somehow involved in the resulting wish. I.. _.I'm so sorry for being a failure._.." He whispered, his forearm covering his eyes.

Marinette didn't know how t feel anymore. When Felix had arrived, she had been ready to chew him out for hiding things from her but that...That he had to go through that all alone... 

"Are you sure it was Lila?" She heard herself whisper, her stomach churning with an odd feeling.

"Cobra said he didn't deserve his Miraculous." The boy shuddered, visibly remembering his own confrontation with her. Second chance was a terrifying ability if used right. Especially with backup from an akuma and an amok...

"How did you even manage to come back to me..?" If they were that far gone, how did he live long enough to get beck to her? it didn't' make any sens-oh. She tried stopping Felix, but it was already too late.

"Cobra stole my Miraculous after I got hit by the akuma. Hawkmoth recognized me and ordered them all to come back. I was already too injured to stop them, he said... I almost didn't manage to make it back to you at the end."

'Oh Chaton...' Marinette's heart clenched for him and she leaned down against him, carefully hugging him, He was wheezing strangely and upon closer inspection, she realized he was crying. She thought back about what he said about impressions from former holders and remembered that, with time, Chat noir and Viperion had grown to become close friends, which was probably why Luka immediately took to Felix on his first day. That also finally explained what was the look Felix had when looking at the musician when he thought no one paid attention to him. 

He looked like he was staring at a ghost.

Marinette's hands fisted the fabric of the blond's waistcoat and she buried her face in his chest, desperately trying not to think about what she just learned, because otherwise, she knew she, too, would fly into a rage the next time she encountered that rotten _bitch_ who hurt her kitty and _kille_ \- An arm coiled around her waist and tore her out of her thoughts. Felix' eyes were still hidden, but she could feel him tremble. He looked exhausted.

"You're staying here tonight." She declared, and her partner just hummed.

"I'm afraid I've been too rebellious lately for that man to agree to it." He said quietly and that's it, Marinette decided, she was now officially angry. She sat up, swiped his phone, unlocked it and pressed Nathalie's contact. Once the other answered, she immediately spoke up, not giving Mayura time to speak.

"Miss Sancoeur? Felix is staying the night. Don't wait for him to come back."

"This isn't-""What was planned?" Marinette interrupted her voice raising with her temper. " I know. However, since you can't be bothered to look out for him after his friend _died_ , because _Goodness forbids his failure of a father_ even acknowledges his existence, then I don't have any other choice but to do it myself, do I?" She growled, her voice dripping with a sarcasm she learned from her distressed partner, ending the call and turning the phone off."The nerve of those people -how _dare_ they-" Marinette muttered angrily, throwing the offending piece of technology on the end of the bed. A timid knocking was heard and Marinette froze. 

"M-Mari... I'm sorry but I heard you shouting..." Juleka timidly opened the trapdoor and carefully entered, looking at Felix and her in apprehension, Luka following suit. "I... uhm..." She hesitated, and Marinette sagged, feeling just tired.

"Felix and I had a ... Common friend... on our fashion forums. We both liked him a lot, but he died recently, and I only learned about it today. Neither of us have been taking it well." Juleka was silent for a moment, before she slowly walked forwards, her brother in tow, and sat on Marinette's opposite side of the bed, hugging her.

"I'm not very good with words, but I'm here, okay?" The goth girl said, while Luka moved a pillow and sat there, putting a hand on Felix' shoulder and the other on Marinette's own.

"We're here." Luka corrected, and the moment his hand, warm and solid, made contact with her, Marinette lost all control and began crying again, the weight of being one of the only few to remember choking her like a vice. 

"I-I... He died alone and we weren't even _here_ for him." She sobbed, Juleka gathered her in her arms and pressed her face in her chest, making reassuring noises.

Marinette cried, and cried, and cried, for everything that happened to her ever since Hawkmoth entered her life.

* * *

  
  


Nathalie looked at her phone, after the very distinctive voice of an angry Marinette Dupain-Cheng chewed her out and terminated the call. She waited for a minute, before opening the computer. She opened Felix' folder and looked at his schedule and, after a second of hesitation, she cleared it entirely for the next few days. She wasn't sure what to make of the newest addition to the family, but family he was, so Nathalie would try to look out for him where she could.

* * *

Marinette woke up feeling terrible. her eyes hurt, she felt dehydrated and stuffy, and her everything felt heavy. She blinked blearily and lifted her head as she felt something shift next to her. she somehow managed to turn on her lamp and its dim light revealed that her bed was positively crowded.

Juleka was sleeping, her ear on Marinette's collarbone and her arms secured around her waist. Pressed against her side was Felix, whatever was holding his hair bag having long gone, his cheek nuzzled against hers. Somewhere along the way, both of their heads had landed on Luka's lap, who fell asleep sitting up against the head of her bed, leanng on a pillow that was put there. There were a few covers and comforthers thrown around the group and she guessed her parents were the ones to put them there. She enjoyed the silence, pondering on how she felt, as Nooroo told her to, and realized that, as horrible as she felt yesterday, she felt... Better, now. Oh, she still didn't feel good by any stretch of the imagination, but she now realized that she had never properly processed or mourned her previous life, which held her back and cause the problem with...Alya. She closed her eyes. The reporter and her used to be close friends, yes, but ultimately, Marinette realized, it was time for her to let go. Her kitty had been here with her throught thick and thin, supporting her as she suported him. Relationships were a two-way street, she acknowledged, and knowingly or not, Alya was asking too high of a price for her friendship. She simply... Wasn't worth losing Felix over, especially now that she knew the truth. That particular thought led to another, that brought with it numbness and exhaustion. 

' _Guess we are enemies now_.' Marinette realized, yesterday's ache had turned into a dull twinge, and she went back to sleep for what seemed to be only a few moments, until her evil alarm clock began ringing.

It rang for a minute, then two, then Marinette groaned as she sat up, trying to extricate herself From Juleka's grip. On her side, Felix twitched, and Luka yawned. She finally regained her freedom and crawled on her fours over Felix to reach for that torture device and make it shut up.

"Good morning." Luka yawned once more, rubbing his eyes. "Your parents said to tell you that we're not going to school today. Mom passed by with our things too..."

"Good Morning Luka..." Marinette smiled softly. "Thanks. I don't think I could go today."

Felix made a noise that couldn't be described as anything other than 'I am awake, but you must provide me with a tribute of coffee bean juice for me to bother with talking human.' his hair falling from Luka's lap and landing on the nearby pillow. Similarly, Juleka groaned, before putting her arms in front of her and stretching like a cat.

"Food..." She whined and Luka laughed.

"You'll have to wait for us to bring it up, sis." He laughed, before turning to Marinette. "Felix ordered Chinese yesterday, your parents brought us sandwiches, but the rest was kept warm." Marinette hummed and got up.

"I'll go get it then." Then, after looking at the comatose blonde, her lips twitched. "And some coffee."

"You'll help." the musician immediately said and accompanied her, and Marinette finally got to see the mountain of boxes. "I think Felix thought we'd need enough food to last a siege." He joked as he brought up some bags for transport while the food was being microwaved.

"That and he doesn't eat enough at his house." Marinette frowned in disapproval, getting herself a glass of water.

"He s rather thin. His clothes help him look bulkier, but he can't hide it in the locker room." Luka agreed easily.

"Should I be worried?" Marinette teased, drinking her water...

"It's not cheating if you're in on it~."... only to cough it out violently as Luka almost sang back, before he laughed at her expression.

"You did it on purpose, didn't you." She narrowed her eyes at the innocent-looking boy, who had a 'who? Me?' expression on his face.

The microwave pinged, and Luka's smile turned back to his usual, pleasant one.

"Let's go before Juleka gets too hungry and eats Felix. She'd eat her weight in food if we didn't stop her." Luka hoisted the bag up, as did Marinette after drying herself off, and the both of them walked back in the direction of her room.

"But she eats normally at school?" The girl remarked, earning herself a good-natured laugh.

"You should see her at home. She eats more than Mom and I combined." He explained, and Marinette decided here and there that there was no justice in this world.

Curse those Couffaines and their effortless good looks. She'll complain to Felix later. He's always up for some complaining.

* * *

  
  


Food was delivered and in the process of being eaten as the group watched the news on Marinette's computer, only for the reportage on the ins and outs of camembert-making, that had Felix bark a few rare laughs, to be replaced with breaking news. On screen was Françoise-Dupont, and the four looked at each other curiously. Then, Felix' phone, that had been turned back on, rang.

He put it to his ear and answered.

"Yes?" He asked, as the reporter began talking about where they were.

"No, I am at Miss Dupain-Cheng's house. Yes, Luka is here and no, I don't have to explain myself to you- _What_?!" Felix shouted.

"-I repeat, a class has been taken hostage at the collège Françoise-Dupont, all entrances have been barricaded and there have been no demands as of yet." The reporter said, before touching their earpiece. "A video is being streamed by the criminals right now-Charles, if you would-" A smaller window opened right next to the reporter, revealing a man covered from head to toe.

"-we have put explosives in every class set to explode the moment I released that trigger, so don't try anything funny." He said in a gravelly voice.

"Why are you doing this? They're just children!" A voice said, and Marinette's eyes widened upon recognizing Miss Bustier. The man snorted.

"Children should just mind their own business, but you guys failed to keep your brat in check, so you'll have to pay the piper." He grabbed someone and Juleka screamed as the man now held a fearful Rose, pressing his gun's muzzle to her head. "Now then, little miss reporter, you have ten minutes to show up from your hidey hole, or your little friends will be introduced to my best friend, Miss bullet." Rose began crying and Marinette's eyes turned wide. She looked at Felix, who was glaring at the screen.

"R-Rose!" Juleka screamed as the blonde tried to struggle, only to be punched in the stomach by another man. The cameraman turned around, revealing the class, without Alya or Lila. Miss Bustier was pale and holding her leg, bright crimson seeping through the usually pale fabric, Kim and Alix were both held against the floor and the rest huddled, Chloe suspiciously silent, though her rapidly swelling eye was a good indication as to why.

Marinette took in a deep breath as Felix got to her bag, where... Oh, _kitty_... She thought mournfully, allowing herself a moment of sadness before she called upon her determination and looked at the siblings seriously.

"Luka, Juleka... This is very serious, so I need you to listen to me." they looked at her, and she breathed in. "Seriously, people _died_ over this secret, if you want plausible deniability, you need to go now." She insisted, trying to impress the graviy of the situation onto them. Luka looked confused, and it surprisingly was Juleka who connected the dots faster.

"You... You can save Rose..." She realized, her eyes widening slowly, before frantically grabbing Marinette by the arms. "Please, I don't know what I have to promise you, but please, please save Rose!" She began crying now. "Our-our friends are all in danger and-"

"We'll keep it secret." Luka interrupted, slowly detaching his sister from Marinette, his expression serious. "Your friend died over that secret, right?" Marinette nodded. "Then I know it's a lot to ask, but allow us to help you. You're our friend Marinette, if you're going to put yourself in danger for us, then the least we could do is to do the same for you." His voice was earnest and she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath.

"Nooroo." She said, and her kwami flew into view.

"I sense no deceit from them Marinette, they truly mean it." He said. Felix came back, fox miraculous in hand and tying it around his wrist, causing Trixx to appear.

"Hello hello, glad to see you got me back, but it seems someone's in a bit of a pickle~" She commented, peering at Felix. "And what manner of being are you?"

"Your temporary partner." Felix said curtly and the fox shook her head.

"Ooooh, you're one of Plagg's kittens alright. Well, you know the drill darling!" The Fox giggled and landed on his head, while Marinette and Felix looked at each other. Then, she closed her curtains.

"Please distract our parents if they check up." She asked as she got up, and walked towards the end of her room, followed by Felix.

"Here we go.." She said, trying to ignore her nervousness. "Nooroo, Wings Rise." As her vision was swallowed by butterflies, she noticed a flash of light, Felix' transformation, and she was immediately hit by an influx of emotions that ha her reeling. She swayed, as if punched, and she felt someone holding her up. It was Felix, though it was hard for her to look at him and not to think about Chat Blanc.

His outfit was pure white and very similar to his Chat one, although the belt-tail was larger. His eyes were blue, though thankfully not slitted, and the biggest difference was his longer hair, that was blonde and tipped with white, with two shorter strands sticking up like ears.

"Holy shit..." Juleka whispered. "You're superheroes..."

Marinette cleared her throat. "In that form, please call me...Dame Papillon." She felt Felix tense and relax next to her.

"Renard Blanc." He said curtly, as Marinette breathed slowly.

"I'm going to send help, would you terribly mind monitoring the situation? Don't reveal yourself it you can help it." Felix nodded and opened the entrance to her balcony area. She then looked at the Couffaines and sighed.

"I know I have a lot to explain, but I need to do this first." She let herself to the ground, closing her eyes and focusing.

It was hard, to find a specific group of feelings in a specific place in Paris, and even more so to differentiate them from each other. There was a lot of fear and anger, but Marinette refused to use that and allow herself to stoop to Hawkmoth's level. No, she needed something more constructive... And she found it in the most unlikely place.

Sabrina was scared, yes, but her heart, hidden to everybody but herself, was filled with patience and determination in the face of danger. This quiet resolve, Marinette could use. She lifted her hand and called upon her first butterfly, saving the second one in case she needed an emergency repair.

"Her heart is filled with determination and will to protect. Fly, my little butterfly, and give her the strength to make her will a reality." She kissed the butterfly, charging it with her power, and sent if away.

* * *

Felix was surveying the situation, having used his ability to keep out of sight. For now, things were at a standstill, but he could see that Nino was beginning to crack, his hand cradling the turtle miraculous. This was bad, he wouldn't afford to let them have the initiative on that front. From his hiding spot, he threw a pebble right next to Nino, causing one of the criminals to look at the boy who was suspiciously holding something against him.

"Hey! What're you holding here!" He shouted, and Nino started, raising both hands.

"N-Nothing dude! Just rubbing my wrist and all." His voice was high, and the tension rose even more. 

The door opened to reveal Alya, dragged in by two other heavily armed criminals and Nino twitched, though the other man's gun nudged him into staying still.

The reporter had been crying, he idly noticed, and she was clutching the fake necklace. Ah, he realized with some amount of glee, she probably tried to transform.

"It's not working... Why isn't it working." She was murmuring, leading Felix to realize that she indeed used Trixx' abilities in her previous investigations to ensure she wouldn't get caught during her sleuthing. The man took offense of her ignoring him, shooting her in the leg and making her scream.

Then, as the man began his monologue to Alya, Felix saw the white butterfly come in, and so did Nino, though thankfully the boy remained silent. A few classmates noticed it flutter to Sabrina, until it touched her headband and a butterfly symbol appeared on her face. Sabrina looked panicked at first, but her expression soon smoothed out, her eyes intense. Then, she opened her mouth, and three words cut through the man's voice.

" _Yes, my Lady_." Her form was covered in light and, in the blink of an eye, the criminals were all paralyzed. Sabrina landed at the entrance of the room, still looking human, though definitely changed. She wore a purple version of a police uniform, her headband hidden underneath a beret and a butterfly-shaped visor sitting on her face.

Rose fell down from where she was held, and they all realized Sabrina was in full view of the frozen cameraman.

"S-Sabrina...? What happened to you?" She asked with a tiny voice, and the other girl smiled peacefully.

"Please call me Peacemaker. I have been bestowed my power to ensure nothing would happen to this school, and I intend to keep my promise." Sabrina disappeared from view, though his more sensitive hearing could pick up more sounds of conflict. Still, he slunk out of the classroom, heading towards the roof to recharge Trixx, and went back to shadowing Peacemaker. Things went well, though from time to time, Felix had to ensure that no one would be hurt by throwing strategic pebbles to create distractions. Those were, in his opinion, very nerve wracking minutes, the unavailability of Miraculous Ladybug driving into his mind the necessity of careful planning and execution. Still, Peacemaker was doing a good job and, through the butterfly flashes, he could see his lady and her were coordinating. Peacemaker went back to the class, where Miss Bustier and Alya were taken care of as well as the other could, and kneeled in front of the teacher, looking at her in the eyes.

"You are innocent in the events of today. Therefore, you should be protected from its consequences." She put her hands over the bleeding wound and Miss Bustier shouted in surprise as the bullet popped out of the wound, her flesh closing rapidly under everybody's eyes. Sabrina's eyes then turned to Alya's, and her smile dropped. She approached the girl, almost menacingly, but was stopped short when the butterfly masked appeared once more.

"But my lady, she... But...Alright... Yes, yes you are right. Protecting the innocent comes first. My apologies for forgetting myself, my lady." She nodded to herself, and the mask disappeared. Peacemaker reached the entrance and turned towards her class.

"The school is about to be evacuated. Please follow me to the exit in an orderly fashion." She said as she signaled the exit. "The other criminals have been neutralized and are waiting arrest, but the bombs haven't been dealt with yet."

Chloe got up and huffed haughtily.

"Well, I'll be going and I'll tell Daddy everything about how the police didn't rescue us!" She stomped out of the room, the other looking at each other and following her example. They arrived at the courtyard, where the police barricaded the entrance, and there was a moment of silence, before Peacemaker spoke, although a bit more nervously.

"The criminals have been neutralized, and I have performed citizen's arrest on them, although I would like to require help in apprehending and incarcerating those terrorists. Similarly, the bombs haven't been dealt with yet, and some classes need evacuating." The reporters began shouting questions, but Officer Raincomprix' booming voice overrode them.

"You heard my daughter boys! Get to it!" His eyes turned to Peacemaker, taking in her attire, and obviously about to ask -"Are you alright, sweetie?" 

Huh. Immediate parental concern. Felix didn't expect that.

"I am fine, Father. Though I will need to accompany your men to unfreeze those criminals before untransforming."

"She said to call her Peacemaker!" Kim piped in and his lady's chosen looked down, embarrassed, while her father laughed in surprise.

"Hahaha! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"

* * *

Renard came back to Marinette's room, to be met with the sight of Juleka having put the unresponsive smaller girl on her lap.

"She's alright. She just needs to concentrate on keeping Peacemaker from going off to punish the culprits." As most akumas tended to do unless supervised. 

The Couffaines jumped as they saw him appear, and Luka looked at him a lot more seriously.

"Is this what you two usually do?" He asked, sounding worried, and Felix shook his head.

"It's usually much worse. Paris was destroyed a few times over this, but the memory wipe was thorough." He saw no reason to lie, better they know about it now.

"Your friend was a superhero too." Luka stared at him, thinking out loud more than talking, before nodding. "I understand the need for secrecy now. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Felix sighed and bit back his reply of 'wrap yourself in bubble wrap and hide in a box', to instead go for his second choice.

"Keep it a secret, stay out of danger and maybe be our alibi if we need it. That's all I can really ask." Luka nodded, and Juleka was staring at the news, a shaken but healthy Rose smiling slightly on screen. Felix fed Trixx once more. He'd have a visit to make later.

* * *

Rose was shaken, but excited, and terrified, and everything in between, as she saw Sabrina, or Peacemaker, come back with the police regiment and drag the tied up criminals with them. The paramedics were seeing to Alya, who was alternating between being in shock and crying, and were carting her off to the hospital to treat her leg. The rest of the class were surrounding Sabrina and asking her questions, Officer Raincomprix glaring at the reporters to keep them at a safe distance.

"You said there's someone who gives out powers? That's so cool! Tell them to hit me up when they need the help, I can show Paris what a true champion can do!" Kim flexed his arms and Alix punched his ribs.

"Yeah right, they'll call you when they need someone with the power to be _second place_." She snarked, and the two began bickering as usual. Miss Bustier looked a bit overwhelmed, Chloe had stomped away to complain to her father, Nino was with Alya, Nathaniel was staring at Sabrina and scribbling intensely on his book, while Adrien, Max, Mylène and Ivan were looking at the superheroine.

"How long have you had your powers?" Caline Bustier asked carefully, worried about the idea of children having to fight criminals while having to lead their lives at the same time.

"Just now. Their use is instinctive, though My Lady said that should we be called on again, we would get better at using them." Peacemaker answered placidly.

"'My Lady'?" Her father asked, now looking concerned. "You didn't promise anything, did you?" Peacemaker shook her head.

"No father, Dame Papillon's only wish was for this incident to end without bloodshed and so, she asked for my help. Speaking of which..." She trailed off, Her form turning blindingly white before Regular Sabrina appeared into view, a glowing white butterfly appearing on her headband and fluttering away. "Bye bye, little butterfly." She said, waving at the creature that quickly disappeared from view. Then, she giggled, wobbled and fell on her butt.

"It-It really happen, didn't it?" Her laugh had a tinge of hysteria to it, and Officer Raincomprix scooped hup his daughter, holding her close to him. "It was so scary daddy... They shot Miss bustier, and they shot Alya, and they said there was a bomb and-"

"There there..." The policeman looked awkwardly, patting his armful of crying teenage girl. 

* * *

Eventually, Nathalie arrived at the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, strolling towards their daughter's bedroom and entering it after earning her parents' approval to do so. There, she saw four teenagers, one of them her charge. It seems that Felix was indeed truthful when he said his classmate was there.

"Felix. It's time to go." She said as the boy looked at her coolly, but nodded regardless.

"I will be seeing you." He told the rest and followed after the woman. when they entered the limousine, She sat next to the driver to give the young ones some privacy, leaving Felix alone with Lila and Adrien.

The older blond knew he'd have to see them eventually, but he hoped it would be later. Rossi was clinging to Adrien crying all the crocodile tears her body could create, while Adrien sighed, looking a bit annoyed.

"It's okay Lila, Alya will be fine, Peacemaker saved our class in time." It seemed giving him all those comics was the good choice, Adrien wasn't even bothering to hide. " And there's a superhero who chooses normal people and turns them into heroes too! That's so awesome!"

Felix mentally counted down and, sure enough, when he reached one, Rossi stopped crying and looked a bit bashful.

"Ah, well, you know..." She smiled coyly at him." That kind of person would have to be _pretty close_ to our class to know who to target."

"That's true." Adrien said pensively.

"It was most alarming to see this on television." Felix said. "Miss Couffaine and Miss Dupain-Cheng were besides themselves with worry." He provided the alibi for the girls and saw the triumphant glint in Rossi's eyes.

"Still, we shouldn't look into it too closely, you know?" The Italian cooed at Adrien, and Felix idly wondered if he could do heavy damage by throwing her out of the limousine at that kind of speed. " That Peacemaker said the butterfly holder was a girl is already a big hint at her identity." She batted her eyes prettily at Adrien, who seemed to put it two and two together.

On one hand, the look of doubt he sent her was hilarious. On the other, he soon 'guessed' that Lila was Dame Papillon, and Felix' hand slowly brushed the door's handle to calm himself, reminding himself of the plan.

Keep to the plan, the plan was needed, Rossi will get what she's owed eventually and with luck, he'd manage to convince Marinette to help him hide the body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand more answers. I slept in the meantime, so I'm gonna say it's tomorrow's chapter and stick to it. So yeah, was long, explains why I had to cut the last time though I don't like cliffhangers.
> 
> A LOT to unpack here!
> 
> First, you see more of THE PLAN!
> 
> Then, more insight on why Felix is that way. Good thing the Butterfly was stolen first. Just IMAGINE what would happen if Hawkmoth was still active...
> 
> Wheeee, keep the comments going and let the Salt flow, my pretties!


	8. Midnight Black Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of the attack on the school, our two superheroes are being very busy bees, Chat Noir returns and Alya gets a visit.

* * *

That night, several hospitals received a very special visit..

  
  


* * *

_ Rossignol, my name is Dame Papillon. You have a heart of compassion who wishes for the salvation of every one of your charges- _

_ Esculape, my name is Dame Papillon. You heart is filled with charity and have always sought to give of yourself for others- _

_ Serenade, my name is Dame Papillon. Abandon your doubts and fears, for I have heard your wish- _

All around Paris, a butterfly flapped its wings and in her room, Dame Papillon was sitting on the floor, arms crossed on her bed and head propped on it, breathing heavily.

"N-Not enough... I need to find the right one..."

  
  


* * *

  
  


"...I'm sorry, but enough is enough Alya, no more investigations. I don't want you to die, sweetie." Alya's mother walked out of the hospital room, crying as her husband helped her up, leaving behind a rather miffed Alya Cesaire.

Sure, being hurt was pretty shocking, and she still didn't figure out why Trixx won't answer anymore, but she was doing good out there!  _ Real  _ good, for many people, by finding out and helping catch all those criminals! Sure, there were a few close calls, but nothing that couldn't be solved by Rena Rouge. If anything, she felt a bit embarrassed by her freakout back in school. After all, Nino was Carapace, if everything turned to the worst, he could be trusted to use his miraculous, too. Unless he, too, had miraculous malfunctions. Alya hummed at that. Alright, maybe she had been too reckless with that last stunt, still, Lila agreed with her that criminals like that should be caught and dealt with. Besides, as odd as it sounded, they had Hawkmoth in their corner, and he did help bail her out by akumatizing Sabrina, though Peacemaker was really odd. If Alya had to put it in words, Peacemaker was too...Focused. Normal Akumas were a lot more erratic, but hey, if Hawkmoth figured how to use akumas for heroic purposes, all the power to him, Alya thought. It certainly helped alleviate her guilt of using her illusions to trick Ladybug. Nino and her left immediately after managing to wrestle the earrings from her, out of respect for her secret identity, but that didn't mean she didn't feel bad about having to betray her, good cause or not.

The girl sighed and looked through the window. The moon had risen and the lights flickered, then died, leaving Alya alone in the dark. From the noise outside, it was probably a power outage. Soon enough, the floor became silent and the girl shifted a bit. Hospitals at night were a bit creepy she had to admit. Then, she saw a black form on the floor, before realizing it was the shadow of something in the window. She looked up and saw a dark shape that she realized was an arm. On the Fifth floor of the hospital. She froze.

Knock knock.

The arm politely knocked at the window and Alya's heart beat faster.

Knock knock.

The arm continued knocking and the girl tried to ignore it.

The arm, however, didn't stop knocking and she reached for her phone. The moment she did, however, it began ringing with an unknown number. She hung up, only for it to ring again, and again, while the arm knocked faster and faster against the window that was beginning to tremble.

At that point, Alya was beginning to feel terrified and of course decided that getting angry would be better than taking whatever harassment tonight's stalker had in store for her. She pressed the answer button.

"Fuck off, you creep!" The girl shouted. " I'm not scared of you!"

The arm stopped knocking, instead cradling the frame. On the other side of the phone, she heard a familiar laughter.

" _ Oh, you should be _ ." The creep hung up and Alya glared at the phone, before hearing a sliding noise coming from the window, that was being opened. The curtains were swaying gently with the wind, and she saw a mop of blond hair topped with two cat-like ears. Alya's mental alarms were blaring and she tried to deny what her eyes were telling her. A black costume with a sleek tail that whipped the air, glowing green eyes, blond hair, a glinting, silver ring.

" _ Hello Rena, long time no see _ ." 

On her windowsill, lounging without a care in the world, was lounging Chat Noir, the moonlight illuminating his wide, icy, toothy grin.

Alya screamed.

* * *

  
  
  


"Don't be bemused, this is the news, and Paris' very own superheroine, Dame Papillon, hasn't lost any time after her introduction to the city. Tonight, After helping thwart a hostage situation in a middle school, she has been empowering medical personnel in multiple hospitals, saving several lives in the process. This reporter wonders when the Lady herself will make her appearance to give out a statement and for Paris to properly thank her for her efforts-"

  
  


* * *

Chat Noir entered her room as the girl was scrambling away from him, a terribly fake amiable expression on his face.

"Why do you look so scared Rena, we are friends and teammates,  _ aren't we _ ?" The blond tilted his head, his voice utterly saccharine. "I figured, since I was passing by and heard that my  _ dear friend _ was injured, I should probably go ahead and visit you  _ purrsonally _ ~." He finally reached the bed, effortlessly catching the phone she threw at him.

"You  _ can't  _ be here, Hawkmoth has your ring, you're just a bad dream!" The girl shouted, shaking her head. Chat Noir's smile widened.

" _ Am I  _ now?" He purred, a clawed hand reaching for Alya's face.

  
  


* * *

  
  


\- And it appears that, indeed, several of those empowered individuals, that the social media has been calling 'Champions' or 'Chosens' indeed had the ability to cure genetic and incurable health issues. It seems that Dame Papillon is restricted to a single butterly at a time, and while they are friendly, we would like to encourage the citizens of Paris not to bother them as it seems Dame Papillon has sent them to help. The mayor has made an announcement regarding the events of today-

  
  


* * *

  
  


His  _ -coldcoldcold- _ claws gently touched her cheek, scraping at it slightly, and Alya whimpered. Chat's eyes were slightly dilated, his ears back and tail whipping the air, like a cat who was about to pounce on a juicy mouse.

"Awww, Rena, you don't have to be scared of me, I'm a well-behaved cat, one hundred percent flea-free." His hand slowly moved lower, fingers touching her neck. "Well, the _ good guys _ don't have to be scared of me." The superhero who shouldn't exist leaned towards her, glowing green eyes filling her field of view.

"So,  _ Rena _ , why don't you tell me, have you been a good girl lately?~"

"I...I... You already know! Leave me alone!" She shouted, struggling, and Chat leaned back, her miraculous in his hand. Her hands flew to her now bare neck.

"Oh,  _ believe me I know  _ Rena~. Though, I have one question, really." He sing sang, and Alya glared at him.

"Let me guess, you're going to ask why Nino and I did what we did." She said with a dark tone that held just the tiniest hints of self-loathing. Chat looked at her for a moment and stepped back, now standing on the floor, and he laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Loudly, his spine arching as he threw his head back, holding his sides. The sound echoed in the hospital room and made shivers crawl up her spine.

"Whew, sorry, been a while since I laughed like that. I didn't know I needed this. Great sense of humor, really." He shook his head and wiped off his tears. "Nonono Alya. I couldn't care less about the why.  _ You made Ladybug cry _ ." His face was suddenly void of any expression. "My question was, well..." He raised his hand, a cataclysm appearing in it, before his other one flipped the fox medallion like a coin. Alya's eyes widened and she shouted, struggling to reach him. Her leg gave out under her as she left her bed, and she began crying.

"Trixx! No! Chat, stop it! Trixx is innocent!"

Chat Noir grinned sadistically as he flipped the fow medallion one last time, this time towards the black orb, where it disappeared, as Chat closed his fist around the orb, grinning sadistically at her as she screamed the Kwami’s name.

"Oh, so  _ now  _ I'm real hmm? You know Alya, reality isn't so kind as to fit your every whim, and it certainly won't wait for you to grow out of your fantasies." He crouched down, his hand grabbing Alya's chin and forcing her to look up at him. 

  
  


* * *

_ Verseau, my name is Dame Papillon. You have a- _

_ Sirène, my name is Dame Papillon. You wanted- _

_ Sablier, my name is Dame Papillon. You lost- _

Marinette's eyes opened, and she smiled tiredly.

"I found you..."

  
  


* * *

  
  


"You know?” Chat said, almost conversationally. “I thought _long and hard_ in that black void, about what I'd do to you guys for betraying my lady, and then I realized!" He let go of her chin, getting back up and spreading his arms theatrically. "I don't have to lift a single finger! In your quest to stroke your ego, you damned yourself on your own. Hey Alya, when you have time, check out the ancient curse okay?" Chat crossed his arms, his tailed swaying lazily behind him. "I think I forgot something..." He snapped his finger.

"Oh yes." Faster than she could see, he grabbed her by the hair and forced her to look at him again. " _ Did you really think you'd get away with it Rena _ ?" He hissed, face mere millimeters from her, before his expression turned happy again, though she now could see the utterly unhinged look in his eyes. " Did you think you could get away with _ hiding My Lady from me Rena _ ?" He whispered dangerously, and she glared at him through her tears.

"You've gone insane..." She choked out, and he laughed once more, bitterly this time. He let her go one last time as she heard people in the hallway. "H-Help! There's someone in my room!" She shouted, and Chat Noir smiled at her with an expression of pure happiness that was eerily reminiscent of Adrien.

"I'd say 'May you live in interesting times' Rena, but you already wished for it yourself hm? How did it go again?" He began stepping back towards the window as the door clattered, locked "Ah, yes 'I wish to become a great reporter who can find great stories easily' right Rena?" Alya froze, all color leaving her face, and Chat laughed lowly, now standing on the windowsill, bowing theatrically at her.

"May you  _ crash and burn _ interestingly, Alya Cesaire, and know that I will be watching you Every. Step. Of. The. Way~ He winked and jumped off the window as the medical personnel entered the room to find Alya alone and crying on the floor.

  
  


* * *

  
  


-And with the last fires dying and the destruction reversed, I am now happy to tell you, dear viewers, that Paris is safe and peaceful tonight!

  
  


* * *

  
  


Nino looked at their odd group, constituted of Adrien, Lila and Adrien's older brother, who came back from getting the group food, arms laden with paper packages and looking as disgruntled as usual.

"Thanks dude, they're trying to get her door open. But, uhhh, not to sound rude, why are you here?" He asked hesitantly, looking inside the bag and whistling. This looked like the Good Stuff. The older guy crossed his arms.

"If it were only me, I wouldn't have come, but Miss Dupain-Cheng was worried and since she can't, I'm checking for her." He huffed, and Nino looked at him, nonplussed.

"Oooookay..." He said slowly, while Adrien laughed.

"Don't mind him, he's always like that." The younger blond said, while Felix pointed at the door whose lock was finally broken. His heart felt squeezed when he saw Alya crying on the ground and hyperventilating. He rushed to her side and held her hand while she was babbling.

"Cha-Chat Noir. He's  _ back _ , Nino." He froze, and Alya looked at him in desperation. "He took Trixx Nino! Nino he took her and destroyed her!" His gaze lowered to her miraculous-less neck and he paled. 

  
  


* * *

Adrien and Felix were summarily booted out of the room after the paramedics left, and while Adrien decided to wait, Felix walked out of the hospital, whistling while keeping his hands in his pocket, two fox tail medallions dangling from his right wrist. Trixx climbed under his coat to his collar, gorging on food.

"Was the fake destruction necessary?" The fox asked, and Felix nodded, entering the limousine.

"Your main strength comes from controlling others’ perception of you. They won't expect the Fox Miraculous, now. The necklace needed disposing before Hawkmoth inspected it, and with them thinking Chat Noir is still active, that man will have no choice but to stay back and observe the situation, which will give us more time." The blond explained, putting on his glasses and beginning to read his book.

"Huh." Trixx said, finishing her food. "Smart. Ruthless, but smart."

"I try." Felix took the compliment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Braaaaaaaand neeeeeeew daaaaaaaay~
> 
> Have the mandatory new day chapter! Hints at what makes Alya tick, Marinette found something! And Felix-Felix? Felix no! Felix stahp-
> 
> (In which Felix ties up loose ends and actually took cues form all those horror movies he watched. THE PLAN(TM) continues, and his notes he showed Marinette actually get some use...)


	9. Appearences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose turns into a caterpillar, Juleka gets some moonlight, Felix' teenage rebellion backfires, and Marinette thirsts for many things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Through the arcane arts of that mysterious site called tumblr, I am happy to deliver the concept art I was working off from for Dame Papillon! 
> 
> https://raspecea.tumblr.com/post/636895336832598016/dame-papillon-concept-image-for-my-fiction-on-ao3

"How deep _is_ it...?" Juleka trailed off in horrified awe as she saw Marinette's closet swallow a very enthusiastic Rose, leaving her legs flailing in the air outside.

"Nothing much? I can stand there with my arms spread. Really, it's normal!" Marinette hummed as she was pinning another layer of black tulle around the taller girl's waist, to create an increasingly opaque, wispy petticoat.

Rose gave out another excited squeal and her legs disappeared as if she were dragged in.

"Mari, I think your closet just _burped_." She pointed out.

"Naw, it's just the door. It's too close to the floor and makes noise when it catches, don't you worry." The pigtailed girl shook her head, readjusting the black satin sash, pinning a cluster of satin black roses to it. "Want some purple thrown in?" She asked, raising another bolt of fabric, the exact same shade as her dyed bangs, she realized.

"Sure, but how many of those do you have?" She asked, looking around and seeing none.

"Oh, a few in my closet. Otherwise there'd be no room in my room if I didn't limit myself." Marinette answered offhandedly, dexterously cutting the fabric and draping it over the petticoat, pinning it in place, then doing the same on top with the rest of her satin.

Marinette stepped back, looking at the ensemble critically.

"The skirt looks alright, though I'll probably need to embroider it a bit... The top is definitely getting an embroidered corset." She nodded definitively, while Juleka looked at herself in the mirror.

"I don't know, it looks kinda too girly..." She trailed off, while Marinette lifted its hand.

"Oh, don't worry about that, I got you!" She turned around, opening her closet and dragging out Rose, who was happily tied up by a fuzzy pink boa, then getting a few things from inside of it. "There they are." She said, looking as smug as a wild Marinette could look. "Here, let me put those on you."

She fluttered around Juleka, helping her put on the jacket that ended at her elbows and under her ribs, the black lace, rose-patterned stockings and the string necklace with a moon pendant. "I didn't really bother with the bracelets and the boots, since you have me covered in that department." The designer pointed at the pile of Juleka’s possessions, before she continued. "And I was thinking a half-updo for your hair."

The other girl looked at it a bit more, then nodded.

"Yeah, I can see it now."

In a corner Roserpillar was wriggling happily in fuzzy heaven.

"Me next! Me next!" She chanted.

Someone knocked at the trapdoor and Marinette gave Juleka one last look to make sure she was decent, before calling out.

"Enter!"

The trap door opened and unsurprisingly, Luka entered, dragging a grumpier-looking-than-usual Felix with him. Though there was something off with him.

"-I _told you_ , I can move by myself!" The blond protested.

His waistcoat and tie were gone, his pristine shirt's top buttons were undone, though he still wore his turtleneck, and it was rolled up at the elbows, revealing surprisingly muscular forearms, on his right wrist were several bracelets, no doubt borrowed from Luka, his hair wasn't gelled back, instead put up in a half-ponytail, letting his bangs frame his face, he wore black framed square glasses and on his earlobes, two simple silvery hoops shone.

"I know you do, but then you'd run away!" Luka answered happily.

Marinette stared. Felix crossed his arms defensively. Marinette stared harder. Felix scowled. Then, the girl turned to Luka, walked towards him and stopped right in front of him, taking his hands in hers and lifting them up in front of her.

"Luka, you're an angel sent by the gods of fashion to save that poor fool and we don't deserve you." She said very seriously, causing the older teen to laugh.

"I can only take credit for the jewelry, Marinette, the rest was all him. I'm glad you approve, though. After his father's reaction, I feared I simply had a bad taste" He smiled warmly while Felix' frown disappeared, his eyes looking through the window and lips slightly quirked up, as if remembering a fond memory.

"Y-You did that at the _Agreste Manor_." Awe was now tinting her voice and Luka nodded.

"He said that if he was going to suffer through the indignity of being forced to attend his brother's party, he might as well make everybody suffer with him." Luka explained, and Marinette made an understanding noise.

Translation: Felix asked Luka to save him before he actually murdered a few people. That checked out. 

“I wanted for him to get rid of the turtleneck too, but he made it explicitly clear that he wouldn’t remove it willingly and it’s not my job, so I’ll leave it to you~” He concluded, and Marinette choked on her own spit as she understood the implication.

Wh-What was going _on_ between those two? And with Luka in general?! 

The girl tried very very hard not to think about Luka stripping Felix, failed, and subsequently squeaked and ran to her bathroom to wash her scarlet face. After a few minutes, she finally managed to calm down, took one look at Juleka, and looked a bit embarrassed.

"Ah, well, not that you're not coming at a bad time or anything, but I was finishing Juleka's dress and we were going to have a photoshoot at the park. It's a full moon, so the light would be great for the aesthetic I've chosen." Felix looked at the other girl and tilted his head in concentration.

"Have you thought about loosening the sash? It would provide a welcome asymmetry for the corset. Especially if what I'm seeing is right and you intend to put decorative laces on it." He remarked and Marinette gave Juleka a second glance.

"Hmmm, We'd have to replace the half updo with a side ponytail..." She frowned, and the other hummed.

"But then, it would let the collar and ear clear for accessorizing."

"True, true..." Marinette conceded. "We'll have to postpone the photoshoot though..."

"Not necessarily." Her partner interjected. "If miss Couffaine can tolerate me working on her skirt, you could finish with her top and we should be able to finish in a timely manner as long as you have the rest."

Juleka looked a bit overwhelmed, then stared at her brother, who shrugged, before giving her a 'go ahead' signal.

"I guess... I'd have to get used to it anyways if I want to become a model." She mumbled and Felix nodded in approval, before everybody was set to work.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It was 10 P.M. when Juleka was fully dolled up and ready for the photoshoot the night was incredibly clear and the weather was still warm.

They were standing next to the fountain as Felix, due to his experience as a model in the previous world and officially osmosis due to his family, was summarily named photoshoot director. The teen was walking around the fountain, arms crossed, rubbing his chin and constantly looking in every direction while muttering, completely engrossed with his task.

The rest was just sitting on the fountain's border, mindful of not getting wet, and catching up on things. Well, more precisely, the girls were grilling Luka about the party they weren't invited to.

"Hmmm, let's see... It was very loud inside the lounge. It didn't have very good acoustics, and the hair was a bit stuffy, it felt a bit like a nightclub." Luka hummed. "That Nino guy was playing DJ, good sense of rhythm, but I'm not so sure about the pieces he chose, they didn't fit his style, so I suppose he was playing on suggestions. As for the others, well, their melodies just weren't into it. It felt like they were all just an accompaniment for ...uh...Lila, was it?" He asked, and Rose nodded enthusiastically.

"Lila's famous and she's pretty much the center of our class! Her stories are always so exciting, and she knows so many people too! She's been our class rep for years and she was the only one to stand up to Chloé."

Luka hummed pensively.

"I suppose it checks out. He does feel like a soloist. Everyone else felt almost muted by her presence. Her music sounds like an ominous violin whose strings are too taut..."

The half-Asian girl listened intently. She already knew all this, but considering this was Luka's first time meeting her officially and not knowing the class, it was incredibly insightful of him. Juleka was just pensive.

"Yeah, every time Marinette gets noticed, she does something to get the attention back." The younger sister said. "I don't think she likes you." She concluded.

"That's probably going a bit too far, she just feels protective." Rose protested, and Marinette frowned.

"Protective of what?" She couldn't help but ask, as she heard Felix come back from his inspection. Juleka rolled her eyes.

"Nothing, Rose just got her in her head that Adrien's been looking at you a bit too intently recently." She shrugged dismissively and the designer heard a low hiss coming from behind her.

"It's not my imagination you know? The only people Adrien even goes against Lila for are his brother and Marinette!" The blond girl pouted, while Marinette felt two arms coil around her shoulders from behind.

"It is good, then, that I took immediate measures to ensure I wouldn't have to worry about any of that." Felix' spoke with an annoyed voice, pressing Marinette against his chest. "Bad enough that I have to deal with Rossi at the manor, the last thing I want would be for her to invite herself here." 

Marinette laughed, patting his arm.

"There, there, don’t worry, _I will protect you_ from Lila.” She said sweetly, scratching slightly.” Found your spot?" He nodded. "...Are you going to let go anytime soon?" She asked slowly

"Not until I purge my mind from the idea of extra time with Rossi." He answered bluntly and Marinette flushed, remembering they had an audience.

"Come on, Felix..." She whispered lower. " _You'll get extra cuddle time tonight if you play nice for the photoshoot_." The boy's blue eyes narrowed in consideration, then he nodded, slowly letting go.

"You _really_ don't like her." Juleka looked at him in wonder as he guided her to the spot.

"She is rude, nosy, noisy, lacks talent or individuality, has no sense of personal space and keeps crying and awaiting rescue instead of dealing with her own issues. She is a walking insult to any self-respecting woman." He huffed, and Luka chirped.

"I didn't take you for a feminist, Fé~"

"I do not care for gender differences and despise everyone equally." The blond deadpanned. "And _do not_ call me that name!" He snapped at Luka, who raised both hands in surrender. "My respect is something that is earned, not given. If she isn't going to do anything to better herself, then I want nothing to do with her." He concluded.

"I'm not sure about the Lila thing, but I agree with the rest~" Rose said cheerfully, surprising everyone else. "Self-improvement is a synonym for self-love after all!"

Marinette cleared her throat, lifting her camera.

"Should we get to it before the night is over?" Felix nodded, then turned towards Juleka

"Seeing as we are going to be working together for this, I should make this absolutely certain. I will not touch you in an untoward manner, therefore, do I have your permission to correct your posture should you not find it on your own?"

The girl looked at him cautiously, then nodded.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Juleka was sitting on the border of the fountain, knees and tip of her boots touching, while her heels were angled so as to be visible from the sides. She was sitting straight, one of her arms was against her torso, hand supporting the elbow of her other arm. Her free hand was relaxed, her index leaning against the corner of her lower lip. Her head was tilted on the other side, hair from her ponytail flowing out. The moonlight was hitting her from the exposed side of her face, and her head was tilted slightly backwards, allowing for the light to illuminate most of her face. She had a slightly impish and, due to the lighting and her posture, haughty air to her, completely different from her usual. Felix had one knee to the ground, adjusting the camera and checking with his partner.

"Alright. Hold the pose, aaand done! Good job Juleka!" Marinette said, getting up and wiping her knees while the other girl sagged.

"My waist hurts." She sighed, and the blond boy nodded.

"That's normal. Modeling requires a certain amount of muscle tone. Some models are required to hold poses for hours during Father's photoshoots."

" _So_ glad I'm working for Marinette." She groaned.

"We only need a back shoot. It will be the most demanding one physically, so relax for a while." He answered, looking at Rose. " You mentioned an interest in massages, feel free to help her loosen up beforehand." He told the smaller girl while handling a thermos of hot cocoa to Juleka. " And you, warm up and rehydrate."

"Yes boss~"Juleka answered lazily, taking the drink and walking off with Rose.

Luka and Marinette were carrying the equipment towards the railings, where the last shoot would take place, while Felix carried the camera and its tripod.

"You know, It feels kind of professional." Luka commented, and Marinette giggled.

"As if Felix would have it any other way." The blond nodded to that.

"If something is worth doing, it's worth doing well." He smiled thinly at Marinette, then looked at Juleka and Rose who were beginning to come back. "Both of you have the talent, so it would be a crime for it not to shine because of something as inexcusable as sloppiness." He uttered the word like a curse and a blushing Marinette wondered if that shudder was just her imagination. 

“Sometimes I wonder if you realize what you’re saying out loud or if you’re just doing it on purpose…” She muttered, rubbing her heated cheeks.

He put the camera in place, checked the height and angle, the, turned to Juleka.

"Seeing as you do not have the adequate musculature to make an upwards shot, it will be an downwards one. Sit here and hook your feet behind the bar here to stay upright."Juleka did so, her feet needing a few times to find purchase. "Good, now hold the bars just so... Not so tight. Relax your fingers, your legs are the ones supposed to maintain all of your weight." Juleka tried, but she looked a bit worried, prompting Felix to give his next instructions. "Rose, Luka, put yourselves here, be ready to catch her if she falls. Do you hear that? You're safe, so relax." Juleka breathed out, loosening her shoulders. Now comes the difficult part. Marinette, hold her shoulders and slowly step backwards. We need her torso to be inclined." Marinette smiled reassuringly at Juleka and did as ordered. "Stop. Right here is good. Juleka. Do you think you can hold the pose on your own?"

The girl shifted for a second, her feet crossing in a different manner and took a breath, rolling her shoulder.

"Should be alright, yeah."

"Good." Felix was about to ask Marinette to let go, until he remembered something. An Italian accented voice came to his mind, shouting 'mamma's spaghetti' and he winced. "Change of plans, Rose, next to me. Marinette, you'll make sure she doesn't fall with Luka." Rose looks puzzled, but walks up to him. "Good. Rose, Juleka, look at eachother with that disgustingly lovesick look the two of you have each time you say hello to each other." He instructed, causing both girls to blush, while Luka hollered.

"You're the worst offender here, Felix!" The blond shrugged, completely unrepentant, while Marinette laughed.

"The point remains." The two girls floundered for a bit, before they looked at each other in the eyes and Juleka's expression began to relax, morphing into a loving one. "Good. Marinette step back. Juleka, hold. We're nearly here."

An instant after Felix pressed the button and took the photo, they heard someone's voice.

  
  


_"Heeeeeee! Guyyyyyyyys!"_

  
  


Juleka startled badly, arms waving around as she fell backwards, to be caught by Marinette and Luka. Rose immediately ran to her side

Felix, letting out a deep and mournful sigh, turned around as his group scrambled to get Juleka to a safe position, to be presented with a scene that had him finger his Miraculous.

Not only the entirety of the class was there, but that man and Mother were here, dressed for dinner at an expensive restaurant. At nearly 11. Felix had no words. The man himself looked at the setup, then at the camera in Felix' hands, then at Juleka's outfit, Marinette, then at him again.

"You weren't scheduled for a photoshoot today." The man said, and Mother slapped his torso playfully. Gritting his teeth, Felix looked at him in the eyes, discreetly swapping the film and chip for blank ones. Just in case anyone got any funny ideas.

"Yes Father, because I am not a model, that's Adrien. Miss Dupain-Cheng was organizing an impromptu shoot to showcase the newest outfit she created and Mr. Couffaine and myself encountered them. Seeing as I do have some amount of experience in the matter, I figured it would be in my interests to lend them my aid in order to sharpen my skills."

The man looked dubious, eyeing Juleka's outfit.

"A niche style." He commented. "The form needs work, the material is subpar, the seam under the draping is loosening." He began criticizing the outfit, circling Juleka like a hawk. "The model lacks assurance and muscle, the empty piercing holes should have been covered, the makeup should have been a shade lighter." Felix tensed when he felt Marinette's hand hold his and he looked to the side. Rossi looked like Christmas had come early. He scowled. Mother pinched that man's arm, and he relented. " _However_ , the overall color scheme is decent, the ideas are there and the outfit was done with the model's limitations in mind. The model's body proportions are also acceptable and she should grow into a decent one with proper nurturing ." He nodded stiffly in Marinette and Juleka's direction. "This outfit needs a lot of work, but it shows promise." Felix' eyebrow twitched while Mother's face turned into a wry smile.

"Don't mind him, he can't keep his mind off work. I think you look lovely." She smiled at Juleka, who shrunk bashfully. She then looked at the group with obvious interest. "So you are Felix' little friends? It's so nice to finally meet you all, my son kept refusing to invite you to the Manor, you see? Oh, but allow me to introduce myself, I'm Emilie Agreste, feel free to call me Emilie. I used to be a model and have an interest in anything artistic" She gave a friendly wave. His group looked at eachother, before then began introducing themselves.

"My name is Luka Couffaine, I enjoy listening to and playing music." Emilie looked interested at that, while the blond teen had a bad feeling about it.

"Oh? Any instrument and favored music styles?" She asked, peering at him, and then, Felix knew. This was an interrogation.

"I play a few chords, but my favorite is the guitar. I like all styles of music because I think they're a way for people to express themselves." The other boy answered brightly to her.

"Oh my~" The blond let go of her husband to clap her hands together. "Dare I ask that you know of-" She let go of all pretenses and openly grilled Luka about his musical knowledge. To his credit, he held up pretty well against her. However, her letting go of her husband meant that he was free to run roughshod over his group. The rest seemed to have sensed it too, because before long, Felix found himself stuck in a not-quite-huddle with the girls. Gabriel approached once more, standing straight and looking at his son.

The stare off continued until Mother dropped a tired-looking Luka and abducted Juleka instead. Then, the man cleared his throat.

"You are designing on your own." He stated flatly, looking at Felix, who crossed his arm defensively.

"I have told you before, and I will repeat, I do not know what you think of me, but is it really that unbelievable that I enjoy having _something_ to talk to with my girlfriend?" He answered with a hint of warning in his voice.

The older man stayed silent, before nodding.

"Very well then. If you are going to go beyond what is expected of you as my heir, then I will allow it." He glanced at Marinette, then back at Felix. "However, you will do so in a controlled environment where your designs cannot be damaged or stolen... Miss Dupain-Cheng may participate as an incentive." He said reluctantly, and it took Felix everything for his mouth not to drop.

What.

"Furthermore, on the topic of your acquaintances..." Mother came back, dropping a Juleka near tears and looking at Rose, who beamed at her, looking impatient for her turn, then laughed lightly.

"I like them, Dear." She said, putting a hand on his arm. "They have so much enthusiasm for their dreams!" She beamed, and Juleka sobbed. Gabriel nodded.

"Your acquaintances are allowed to visit the Manor, as long as they stay within the limits of the publicly allowed zones and your own room." He concluded.

What?

"I do...Appreciate, that you maintained a sense of propriety upon making yourself contacts and decided to follow the correct steps instead of ignoring them as you brother did." He finally said, and Felix' brain stopped working.

_What?!_

Felix was struck speechless, alternating between panic and all-consuming, fiery rage, as Mother intervened once more.

"Now dear, we should be going, out reservation won't wait forever." She then stage whispered to him. "Let's not embarrass him in front of his little friends any further."

The teen began twitching as the couple went away, quickly followed by the rest of their party, leaving three puzzled teens, a catatonic one, and one last whose anger was so hot it turned cold.

"Let's... Let's just go back." Marinette finally said, looking at Felix

  
  


* * *

Marinette was waiting alone in her room, sitting under the moonlight with a few butterflies. Normally, she'd send them out, but Nooroo was adamant that she needed a day off. So instead, she waited for her partner to come after this... utterly infuriating night.

Soon enough, a white form appeared, coming from her balcony, and Renard Blanc landed on her bed.

"Hey there." She said, reaching for his head, her fingers caressing his hair. "A little fox told me you'd like to talk to me?"

Her superhero partner muttered something and his form left place to Felix, hair completely undone and a haggard look in his eyes. His emotions were running haywire and now she was worried.

"Chat? Talk to me?"

"He _likes_ me." He looked up at her, halfway between panic and horror. "He actually _listened_ to my opinion..." He whispered, shivering. " Why?! I did everything I could to cause a scene, refused to listen to him, ruined every family dinner I've been forced to attend, kept skipping my schedule and pushed Rossi in a fountain. Twice!" He hissed. “All of my life, both of them, I tried everything I could to get his approval, or even just his attention. Why is it that now that I don’t want it is when I get it?!” He looked so lost...

Marinette's lips tightened and her stomach heated up in anger. There were so many things wrong with this situation she couldn't even begin to formulate an answer to it, so she did the next best thing and guided her kitty to her lap, petting his head.

"We can't afford for him to start paying attention to me _now_ of all times! Not when I have _two_ Miraculous!" He almost babbled, suddenly looking less like him and more like his brother, then her hand froze in his fluffy hair.

"Two?" She asked cautiously, and Chat shuddered.

"I stuck to the plan as much as I could but I.. I _had_ to take the chance, my lady." He murmured, and out of his pocket, a familiar kwami appeared.

"Hello, Guardian... Would it be too much to ask to go back to the box?...I don't feel like remaining active, right now."

Sass, Kwami of the Snake miraculous, floated up, avoiding her gaze.

"Oh, Chaton..." Marinette whispered, fingers curling through his hair and around his cheek. "It's okay kitty." She slowly lifted his head, hands on his cheeks, then she pecked the tip of his nose, smiling brightly when he made a curious noise.

"It's okay." She repeated. "You did more than well, you did _perfectly_." She emphasized, then put her forehead against him. "You don't have to worry about the cleanup or anything. Just relax and let me take care of you, okay?" She put her arms around his neck and let herself fall to the bed, holding him tightly and uttering reassurances to her distraught and too-close-to-breakdown-for-comfort partner, kissing him and scratching his scalp until he finally fell asleep.

Using Nooroo as much as she did left her sensitive to other's emotions. Even more so for people close to her. Chat? He was her partner, her other half, now even more so than before, the only one in the world to understand her fully, and she was the only one to understand him fully in return, so it wasn't any surprise that she could feel everything he felt at any given moment.

His amusing [ _conflict/curiosity/embarrassment_ ] in face of his mother's affection, his heart wrenching [ _affection/guilt/shame/despair/determination_ ] around Luka, his saddening [ _love/hatred/yearning/bitterness/betrayal_ ] whenever his father was around, the admittedly humbling storm of [ _Love/yearning/devotion/protectiveness/jealousy/panic_ ] he felt for her, all of that was eye opening, but what truly, deeply **[ i n f u r i a t e d ]** her, was the shade of _[anger/loathing/despair/fear/hatred/helplessness/Self-Hatred_ ] his heart took whenever Lila Rossi was around.

In a corner of her room, Nooroo shuddered.

Oh, she was one of Tikki's alright.

"It's okay Chaton, you don't have to fear her." She whispered to the sleeping blond with a tender smile. " _Because when I'm done with her, there won't be a Lila to be scared of anymore._ " She giggled, pulling the cover over them both and cuddling closer to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess it'll be tomorrow's chapter? I don't know anymore, my sleep schedule is shot anyways~
> 
> Nothing much happens-Sike, have the snek in the last apart, absolutely nothing to be worried about, amirite?
> 
> What? Nawh, this is perfectly normal cuddling with NOTHING ELSE happening. ONLY HAPPY THINGS.
> 
> Pls sent those kids to a therapist.
> 
> (*Nervous laughter*.... Gods this is going places but I sure as hell don't know where and I'm WRITING this thing... *eyes the possible [yandere] tag nervously *)


	10. A Thousand Papercuts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wayzz tries his hands at rules lawyering, Lila has what looks to be the beginnings of a bad month ahead of hers and Marinette gets some free advertizing.

Sunday Night...

Wayzz was observing the proceedings placidly from his spot on Nino's table, while Cobra, Rena Rouge and his own wielder were convening. Rena Rouge had seen better days, faint shadows under her eyes and looking around for something. Likely Chat Noir. The turtle kwami wasn't exactly sure of what was going on, but he could guess.

"I'm not lying, I saw him!" Rena Rouge whispered to the two. " I don't know how but he has a way to make the Miraculous not work anymore! and... And Trixx..." She teared up a bit upon remembering the loss of her Miraculous, before wiping her eyes and firming her expression in determination. "He's gone insane, kept talking about Ladybug, so we know she's not around, but he's certain she's around somewhere."

Cobra crossed her legs and flipped her bangs smugly, then turned her expression into one of concern.

"Oh, it won't be a problem." She took Alya's hands in hers. "I was afraid Ladybug would do something, so I added a part in my wish to make sure she wouldn't interfere and ruin everything. Ladybug is out of the picture."

"Yeah, but that leaves us with one crazy Chat Noir out there cataclysming Miraculous right and left and stalking us." Nino frowned, before turning towards Wayzz. "Can he even do that?"

Wayzz regarded them coolly and remained silent. Nino sighed.

"Come on, little dude, we need to know about that..." He tried to cajole, and the Turtle crossed his arm and turned away, earning himself another sigh. Lila made a hesitating noise, before speaking out.

"You know... Kwamis can't resist an order. I'm not saying we should abuse it, but this sounds like an emergency, if Chat Noir is around, and he already attacked Alya..." She trailed off, and if Wayzz had any doubts about that girl's true nature and treatment of his fellow Kwami, now he had none left. Wayzz heard the rustling of fabric as Nino shifted around.

".. I'm sorry Wayzz, but I can't let him get to Alya again... Tell me everything you know about the Chat Noir who attacked Alya." 

The Kwami tried to clamp his mouth shut, but the compulsion wouldn't allow him, so instead, he went the opposite way.

"Tikki and Plagg -bubblebubblebubble-" He bubbled at the teenager, feeling glad for the limitations on the Miraculous.

Alya looked at him seriously.

"Okay Nino, repeat after me." She started, and Wayzz mourned his easy way out.

"To your knowledge, can your Miraculous be destroyed by Cataclysm." Nino repeated, and Wayzz answered against his will.

"...Yes."

"Should your user fall through time, can there be two turtle Miraculous?" Wayzz froze. He couldn't afford to mess it up and let them get the right idea, so he put up more than a token effort in resisting that question. Them getting the answer too easily could alert them that their way of thinking wasn't the correct one.

"Nnnnnhhhhhhh-Yes." He finally admitted, though he wasn't sure how Alya had forgotten about Miss Kubdel's Akuma, but the Lady Wifi fiasco was proof enough that she could be forgetful when it suited her narration.

"So it is possible for Chat Noir to be there..."Alya mused, while Nino winced and Lila's expression turned blank and she inhaled, pointing at the window. There, Wayzz' eyes informed him, Chat Noir was peering at them, a massive, malevolent grin on his face. He pointed at Lila, snapped his fingers, winked and disappeared from view. However, the Turtle's other senses informed him that this was an illusion formed by the Fox Miraculous. The teens remained frozen for a minute, before spurring into action. Lila scrambled to her bag, Alya had her phone out and was opening the window, while Nino was jumping down his bed. Inside of her bag, the Kwami noticed, was a very well-made replica of the Snake Miraculous, and suddenly, a lot of things began making sense.

Oh, the Turtle thought, this new Fox was good.

"Okay, Lila, transform, Nino get ready to chase him." Alya ordered as Lila put on the bracelet.

"Sass, come out." The girl ordered, before she gasped and tried once more. "Sass? This isn't funny! Come out now, it's an order!" The Italian tried ordering, pleading, even using her activation phrase, while Alya's eyes narrowed in anger and Nino gulped. "It's not working! My Miraculous is broken!" Lila began crying, but behind her hands, Wayzz could see her cold and calculating eyes. Alya turned to NIno.

"Ask Wayzz this." She started.

"Why does Chat noir have the ability to break the Miraculous remotely now when he couldn't before?" Nino repeated. 

Wayzz thought about how to formulate his answer, before he grunted, letting the compulsion act.

"Chat Noir does not have any ability here that he didn't already have there." He stated.

"So why now? Why is he using just it now?!" 

"Hmmm, why would someone use means then normally wouldn't ? What changed in his situation, I _wonder_..." The turtle mused out loud and the couple winced. "Though, I wouldn't worry about that first." Wayzz admitted, and this time all three had his attention.

"What is it?" Nino asked hesitantly, and the turtle smiled genially.

"Why, the question of how he knew your identities of course!"

Alya's eyes widened and she began muttering while Lila... Oh, did the girl look rattled. Still, his distraction had its intended purpose and the three kept bickering the evening away.

In a nearby street, a satisfied-looking Marinette readjusted her pink hoodie, hoisted up her bag and shared a secretive smile with the small fox creature hiding in the hood.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


On Monday Morning, Marinette stretched and yawned. Maybe two sessions of five hours each were excessive, but Dame Papillon needed to go out often, if only to ensure no people died on her watch. Her trump card shouldn't be used nilly-willy after all. she looked around, putting one a white off-shoulder pullover with magenta spaghetti straps and her customary apple blossoms brand on her chest and high waist similarly magenta capris pants. Then, in a flight of fancy, she decided for a simple ponytail this time. Felix didn't have monopoly on appearance changes after all!

After sleeping on it and talking to Nooroo, she admitted that her anger _may_ have clouded her judgment. Just a tiny bit. The butterfly was right though. As angry as she was, there was no reason to allow Lila to win by pushing Marinette to become something she wasn't! So, instead, she took the butterfly's advice, and promptly decided that she'd behave exactly as herself, and _smother_ them with her kindness.

Truly Nooroo was the _best_ at giving life advice. (The butterfly just took whatever win he could get at this point.)

So, since she spooked them so badly yesterday, she decided to start now.

"I'll be going, Mom!" She shouted, holding a box of baked goods in one hand, and a carton holding several steaming paper coffee cups. She was humming on how she was going to get around to doing it, as she neared the classroom, when she nearly collided into Adrien, barely saving the coffee.

"Oh, Hello Adrien." Marinette said. "Had a nice dinner with the class?"

"Hi Marinette! And yes, we went to a restaurant with my parents, it was nice!" He beamed at her, and Marinette's brain whirred as she had an idea.

"With how frantic everything has been recently, a change of pace must have been nice." She started, earning herself a nod from the blond.

"It helped Alya decompress a lot." He agreed, and Marinette then spoke about the topic she wanted to breach.

"Maybe it's because Juleka and I saw it through a television but still... Paris having a superheroine sounds... Surreal." 

Adrien's eyes took a very enthusiastic shine as he began telling her about everything, from the school rescue, to the hospital rounds. The boy opened the door for her, and Marinette peeked inside. The infernal trio looked a bit exhausted. Good. She would have drunk it with Rose and Juleka instead, but earning herself brownie points was more important. She approached Alya, who was crossing her arms on the desk, face on her arms and groaning. She laughed lightly.

"Hello Alya." The other girl lifted her head, blinking blearily, her eyes zeroing in on the coffee. "I figured that you would still be tired, so I brought something for you." Marinette almost cooed. "Of course, I figured you'd keep Nino and maybe Lila and Adrien up and I brought some for you. Coffee and Nutella-stuffed donuts, I don't know your favorite, so I went with a classic. careful, the donuts are still warm so you could stain your top though" She put down the boxes, and Alya looked more aware. She lifted a cup, sniffing at it. Putting her hand in the box for the sweets, Marinette revealed a trio of small containers. "I also didn't know how you took your coffee so I brought sugar, cocoa powder and cream just in case."

Alya looked at Marinette, then at the coffee, then back at Marinette, and almost leaped over her desk, grabbing the other girl's hands.

"Girl, I solved the bestie issue. Drop that ice cube you call a boyfriend and marry me, I promise I'll treat you like the princess you secretly are." She said, looking completely serious. Marinette had to swallow her angry growl and keep her smile up at the mere _suggestion_ of her abandoning her Chat.

"Dude, not cool." Nino looked at Alya, taking his own cup, his protests half hearted at best.

"Hush Nino, you're just envious of our looooove!" She exclaimed dramatically, attracting the rest of their class' attention, and for a moment, Marinette allowed herself to enjoy the nostalgia. It was almost like nothing happened. Then, she took back control of herself as Lila simpered.

"Oh Marinette, that was so kind of you. It's just a shame that I can't take my coffee without cinnamon." She looked mournfully. "And that those donuts are way too fat for me, I have to keep my waist thin and I can't afford to hide it with baggy clothes." She gave a quick look at Marinette's pullover, but the girl didn't give her the satisfaction of reacting.

"Well, that just means more for Alya then." Marinette chirped, earning herself an exaggerated lovesick look from Alya.

"You, me, honeymoon at lunch." She sighed, batting her eyelashes, to which Marinette shook her head.

"Sorry Alya, but I promised Felix we'd eat together." She ignored Alya's dramatic 'Noooooooo!' " And I also need to give those to the others." She pointed to the other donuts in the box.

"Free food! Free food! Free food!" Kim hollered, clapping his hands above his head, soon accompanied by the rest of the class. Marinette slowly freed her hands from Alya's and grabbed the box.

"Duty calls." She winked at the other girl who swooned. "Sorry for ignoring you Adrien, but I'm sure the others would love to talk to you about Dame Papillon." She looked at him bashfully, then went on her way.

As she was distributing the last donut to Ivan, who, this year, was seated behind Nino and Alya, she heard a very interesting conversation.

"You know what? Maybe we could make something, a forum or a blog so that Dame Papillon can receive thank-you notes from people!" A very enthusiastic Adrien was saying, while Lila was smiling blankly. Alya and Nino's faces were a bit pinched, but the blond, bless his obliviousness, continued. "Dameblog or Papillonblon don't have a nice ring, but if you translate Dame Papillon, in English, it gives Lady Butterfly, so we could call it Ladyblog!"

At that moment, Alya, who was drinking the coffee, swallowed through the wrong pipe, Nino fell off his chair and Lila? Lila let go of Adrien and for a split second looked afraid. However, Adrien being the sunshine child he was, kept on delivering.

"Ladyblog has a nice ring! Well, if you say it too fast it kind of sounds like Ladybug, but I'm sure Dame Papillon will forgive that, she sounds like a nice and helpful person. Did you know she's had Chosen working on missing people cases in-between her Chosen shifts at the hospitals?"

"O-Oh... I-Is that so..." Lila trailed off, while Nino and Alya just stared. "I... Didn't know that. Thank you Adrien." The boy beamed and clapped his hands.

"That's why I think having a blog would be really useful, that way we'd be able to know what our resident Lady is up to and maybe even help her!"

Marinette hurried back to her chair, her whole body trembling, and she looked at Juleka, muttering.

"Alibi please, can't hold it in anymore." 

Juleka nodded puzzled, and Marinette finally let loose her laugh. She laughed hysterically and almost fell from her chair, holding her midsection and unable to breathe.

"Is she okay?" Rose asked as Marinette grabbed Juleka's arm to stay upright.

"Ju...Ju...ahahahahahahaa Juu-aahahahahahahah... Butterflies ahahahha!" She slapped the goth girl's arm with her other hand and after a few seconds, her lips quirked up.

"Yeah, just a dumb joke that I told Marinette." She explained smoothly to her girlfriend.

The fact Lila Nino and Alya think Adrien is Chat noir while Adrien thinks Lila is Dame Butterfly is the dumb joke. Marinette tried to calm herself, quickly devolving in a giggles fit.

"What dumb joke?" Adrien approached, probably because Marinette was too loud but she didn't care.

Juleka looked at him right in the eyes, then, with the most deadpan voice she could manage, she spoke up.

"TIme flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana and butterflies like margarine." 

Marinette's brain, always quick to make associations, was still thinking about Chat Noir when Juleka made her joke, causing her brain to latch on to the 'banana' part. Thus, Bananoir came to mind. However, in her mind, Chat Noir was equating to Felix, and thus, Marinette found herself imagining the grumpy face of Felix in a Banana suit, which sent her straight back in another fit of hysterical laughter.

Juleka stared. Rose stared. Adrien stared, and then...

"You actually _liked_ this." her long haired friend realized. " You _like_ puns."

" _Nooooooooooo..._ " Marinette moaned between two bouts of laughter.

"Yes, yes you do." The girl's grin was nothing less than predatory now.

"If it's puns, I know a few myself." Adrien happily said.

" _Staaaaaaahp..._ " Marinette begged now as the two looked just about ready to gang up on her.

However, Miss Bustier, Goddess of everything good and pure in this world chose that moment to come in, forcing Adrien to go back to his seat and Juleka to stop.

Goodness, her middle hurt and her eyes were actually teary.

  
  


* * *

Later this ween, on Thursday night, Lila was sleeping. A red and white shadow slinked in her room, yet she didn't stir. A hand reached in her prized bag, the fake snake miraculous catching the moonlight, and yet, Lila did nothing, because she was sleeping. The intruder upend the bag they carried and got a can of black spray paint and an indelible ink pen, then, they grinned evilly.

  
  
  


* * *

The following day, Lila's ear-piercing scream woke up everyone in the room, but only when Alya and Nino were called in, did her door open. What they saw there was...

All over her walls, floor and even ceiling, words were spray painted in black, some less intelligible than others, but sentences such as ' _Where is she?_ ' ' _Where is my Lady_?' ' _Where did you hide her Rena?_ ' and ' _I will find her eventually Rena_ ' betrayed the intruder's origin. Lila's face fared little better, as she now had panda eyes, black fangs, ' _w0rst sn3k ev4_ ' on her left cheek and ' _lol loser_ ' on her right. More alarmingly, Lila's Miraculous had disappeared.

Alya gulped and looked at Nino.

"I don't suppose you know where Adrien was last night?" she asked breathlessly. Lila just glared at Alya.

"My clothes have been torn to shreds, I can't go to school like that." She whined. "Why is he so certain you know who Ladybug is anyways?"

"I... I don't know girl..." She hesitated. " Maybe he thought I looked when I took her miraculous?"

"You mean you _didn't?_!" Lila screamed "Ladybug is a nonentity yes, but who knows what her civilian identity could be up to?!" Even if Hawkmoth loaned the butterfly Miraculous to one of his minions to get some good rep, Chat Noir was a dangerous psychopath after her life, not like that useless spotted fake heroine! The least she could do is be a distraction for him but noooo, Alya had to had last minute jitters and now, _she_ was the one that flea-bitten stray was going after!

"What is going on here?!" Lila's mother entered the room and looked around. "What did you do to your room Lila? And your clothes- _Oh my God_ , Lila, I _swear_ , just because we're not poor doesn't mean I'm going to buy you a wardrobe every time a new collection comes out!"

"Wh-what? No! Someone broke into my room and made this mess!" Lila protested, for once telling the truth, though her mother looked around her closet, eyeing its contents critically.

"Right. And that 'someone' apparently managed to do so without appearing on cameras, triggering any alarms, or leaving any traces. I thought you knew better than trying to lie to me Lila." She said, brandishing something. "However, I won't bow down to your latest little tantrum. Put this on, I'm driving you to school. I don't care if it's a test you don't want to take or just you acting up, but you will have to deal with the consequences of your actions young lady. You two!" She snapped to Alya and Nino "Out! I have to make sure this stubborn daughter of mine doesn't get out completely naked. God knows we don't need that scandal on top of everything else."

"B-But I really _am_ saying the truth!" Lila complained, and her mother grabbed her pajama's top, while Alya dragged Nino out of the room.

"Lila Rossi, I taught you better than that-!" she began scolding the girl and the door closed leaving the two teens looking at each other awkwardly.

They had no idea how they were going to explain that to the class.

  
  


* * *

This was the _worst_ day of Lila's life! The girl whined in her mind as she was being escorted to class by her mother, who decided humiliating her daughter was more important than being early to work. As she was being paraded in her horrible, horrible clothes, they came upon... _Urgh_. She didn't bother to hide her sneer of distaste. Dupain-cheng and Nerdy Agreste. The loser duo that totally deserved each other. Dupain-Cheng's hands flew to her mouth and she gave her a look that was so full of pity and compassion that Lila wanted to puke on that ridiculously pink tank top of hers.

"Lila, what _happened_ to you?" She asked while Nerdy Agreste scoffed, crossing his arms.

"If this is your latest attempt at attracting pity, then consider me unimpressed." He rolled his eyes, as Dupain-Cheng slapped his arm and reached in her bag.

"Be nice, Felix. I should have... I'm sure it's around here..."

Lila's mother pushed her to the classroom, where her shame was exposed to the rest of the class.

_ "Lila..." _

_ "What happened..." _

_ "Good Look Rossi!" _

_ "Shut up Chloé!" _

Her ears were burning, and she heard Dupain-Cheng's voice.

"Lila, wait! I got you!" She ran inside the class, holding a tissue and a bottle, then put some sort of lotion in the tissue and began wiping the other girl's face. "I always end up drawing on myself by accident when designing so I always carry some of this with me." She explained, and the Italian girl sneered internally.

Yeah, that was pretty much what was expected from that clumsy, pathetic idiot.

"My...So this wasn't an attempt at garnering attention." Her eyes turned towards Nerdy Agreste, who was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, a less than impressed expression on his face. "Please tell me this isn't your way of starting a new fashion trend, you should at least be self-aware enough to know that you have no taste." He looked at her clothes with barely concealed disgust, and she glared at him. "So, by elimination, this must be your newest attempt at making the buzz, in which case, congratulations." He uncrossed his arms and clapped slowly. "You are, indeed, trending."

"Oh, shut up Agreste, go back to your classroom. Where's Adrien anyways?" Alya scowled at him and Marinette reapplied some lotion. It smelled pretty nice, Lila's brain supplied, and she scowled, focusing on Nerdy Agreste instead. 

"He will not be present to today's classes, and I myself have been called back home too. Apparently, Rossi's walk of shame has been recorded and Father has a few words for us. I fail to see how that is any problem of mine, but I'm sure I'll end up having to clean up behind this latest fashion disaster." He waved dismissively, before turning to Dupain-Cheng. "Sorry about that, I will have to reschedule our sparring practice."

Dupain-Cheng just gave him that ridiculously loving smile that made her look stupid and shook her head. 

"It's okay Felix. I'll just work on our designs for the next contest." She then looked at Lila, peering closely at the Italian girl, which made her feel uncomfortable, then nodded to herself, stepping back.

"All done. your face is clean." She said, and Alya chose that moment to pipe up.

"Thanks girl, you're a lifesaver. Say, do you have anything that could help with..." She waved at the clothes that Lila had been trying to forget. A pink and blue rose patterned skirt, with a teal and yellow knitted pullover. Seeing as she would never be caught dead with those and didn't buy them, this had to be Chat Noir's latest attempt at ruining her life. Lila scowled. She should have been more thorough last time.

Dupain-Cheng looked at Lila consideringly.

"Hmmm, if I rush back home, I have a few premade ones that need last minute adjustments... Although it'll need work since I don't usually work with that coloring..." She hemmed and hawwed like an idiot, before nodding. "It will probably take up our entire lunch break, but I can get Lila some fitting clothing if she doesn't mind me finishing it on her." Uuuuuuugh. That sweet, saccharine voice was grating on her nerves.

Alya sagged in relief.

"Tell me how much it costs okay? I know you're busy with setting up your own online shop." That was new though. This new Dupain-Cheng was getting into Old Dupain-Cheng territory, maybe Lila would have to do something about it. Dupain-Cheng shook her head.

"No, no need, I simply couldn't let any of my classmates go around wearing _that_ , especially since it looks like she didn't do it by choice." Her smile was nearly angelic and Lila could only grin and hide her twitching as everyone gave her the praise that was rightfully _Lila's_!

  
  


* * *

As Lunchtime came to an end, in the girl's locker room, Lila was wearing a sleeveless black dress shirt with an olive ribbon tie, tucked into a pair of high waist dark olive shorts with four black buttons on her waist, and Dupain-Cheng was finalizing the adjustments so that her work didn't ruin Lila's credibility any further. The girl wiped her forehead and gave a thumbs up to Alya, who was carrying sandwiches for them both.

"Done! Sorry again, I always embroider my brand first, and it would have taken too much time to cut it off."

"Oh, it's fine Marinette, _I'll_ make it look good anyways, since I'm a model and all." Lila answered with a saccharine tone, while the other girl had the audacity to smile. ALya gave her her sandwich and she bit into it angrily. How _dare_ Chat Noir make her owe _Dupain-Cheng_ , of all people!

"Girl, you look _fabulous_." Alya looked at Lila up and down, before turning back to Dupain-Cheng. " You seriously don't want any money for this?" The wannabe designer shook her head again.

"The only favor I ask is that you do a favor to all designers everywhere and burn those abominations when you go home." She beamed at Lila, who looked away.

Well, at least, that they could agree on. Not that she'd care about that idiot's opinion, but she wasn't stupid enough to keep them just because Dupain-Cheng happened to have a good idea once in her life.

"Will do!" Lila chirped and grabbed Alya's arm. "Let's go back, I'm sure Nino's been too long without you. See you Marinette!" She dragged Alya away.

After she left, Marinette's beaming smile turned into a more dangerous smile and she got her phone, pressing the answer button.

"How's the riot going, kitty?" She asked, putting her things back in her bag.

"It's going well. PR is doing what they can to mitigate this, but Rossi's escapade was photographed by many people. That man is furious." Felix' voice was almost giddy.

"Well then, you're going to _love_ what's going to come up next." Marinette almost sang, as she closed her bag and put it on, finally getting her sandwich.

"Let's see... I see. Rossi made a selfie..." Felix stopped talking in what was probably one of his astounded silences. "Green and black. _Really_." He said flatly, while Marinette grinned.

"Wanna bet on how long it's going to take her to realize she's wearing Chat Noir's colors?"

She could almost hear his evil grin as he laughed.

* * *

On the other side of the phone, Felix' smile disappeared like a snowflake in hell as that man strode towards him, clearly expecting an explanation.

"I decided to take the initiative and had Miss Dupain-Cheng do something about the octopus' wardrobe dysfunction. It may not be our brand, but at this point, the sooner she was out of this outfit, the better. Furthermore, that particular brand is unknown, so it will be thought of as a mere embroidery." He stated plainly, then showed the newest selfie Rossi made with Alya, the apple blossom brand well in sight due to its pale colors, that contrasted with the rest of the outfit.

That man's eyes narrowed at the screen, before he nodded.

"Acceptable. You will be meeting with our consultants and decide on a way to handle this problem." The man said, and Felix scoffed.

"I have been telling you to let go of her for years and you want me to clean up her mess? I will make sure Adrien's name remains unaffected, but you're asking a miracle from me, Father."

"Indeed. Consider this a test of your worth as my heir." Felix just stared at him.

"Considering your other option is  _ dating  _ that thing, I will just ignore your last comment. Have a good day father, I certainly won't." The teen huffed, but set himself to work anyways.

Unseen by the younger blond, Gabriel Agreste looked upon his soon with a faintly approving expression.

Felix felt himself shudder anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Braaaaaaan Neeeeeeew Daaaaaaaaay~
> 
> The chapter's name should tell you all about what's in store for Lila and hey, if Marinette gets something out of it, all the more power to her! Felix' plan to turn Adrien into a superhero nerd is paying dividends. Misunderstandings for everyone. Except the two murderchildren. One of whom would like a pay raise for his work, thank you very much.


	11. Courtesy Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Spiteful!Tikki, Gabriel is finally brought up to speed, Nathalie enjoys her vacation away from Paris, and Lila's room might as well be a highway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Blood, Cutting implements, and bloody cutting implements where they really shouldn't be, with descriptions of bodily harm. You have been warned.

Gabriel Agreste was a creature of habit. This everyone knew. Every day, he would wake up at 6 o clock, shower for ten minutes, spend thirty more on dressing up and doing his hair, then he would go to the dining room for twenty minutes of breakfast. Then, at 7 o clock, he would get himself a mug of coffee, have the newspaper delivered, and drink said coffee while checking any event of interest for Thirty minutes. 

This Saturday was such a day, as he sat in his office, a steaming, plain white mug (it used to be a #1 Best Dad mug, once upon a time, but it disappeared a few weeks ago...) filled with his favorite blend. Black, no cream, no sugar. As he opened the Newspaper, he took a sip of the nearly-burning brew that burnt his palate and had a  _ slightly salty, coppery taste _ \- His eyes widened and he spat it out immediately on the newspaper, breathing frantically through his nose. Then, slowly, his hand reached into his bleeding mouth, and his fingers got thin, long razor blades out of it. He pressed a button on the side of his desk but, to his surprise, it was Emilie, not Nathalie who appeared.

"Hello dear, what-Oh no, what happened to you."

He tried opening his mouth, only to spit some more blood and  _ -painpainpain _ \- came from his palate and tongue, so he instead pointed at his mouth, the coffee and the razorblades. The woman gasped, and he glared at the red and black being on her shoulder who looked down at him apathetically and entirely remorselessly.

"Tikki..." The woman said with a disappointed tone "You weren't supposed to stray away from me, how did you even manage this?" The kwami crossed her arms and remained silent, looking away.

"Tikki, that's an order..." Emilie said warningly, and Tikki just looked smugly at her now, making a zipping motion with her paw. Emilie frowned for a second, and Gabriel exhaled slowly though his nose, writing on one of the few papers that weren't covered with coffee and blood anymore.

' _ She has orders to remain silent at all times. _ ' It read, and the blonde woman's eyes widened and the kwami glared. 

"Oh, no wonder she was so quiet! Tikki, I rescind the order to keep silent. Now, tell me how you managed to do that." She waved at Gabriel's current state, and the kwami beamed at her insincerely.

"Happily, with great ease and the power of love and justice." She answered, her voice filled with sugar and cyanide.

"And how did the blades land in his cup?" She tried again, but the kwami's expression didn't falter an inch.

"They fell in it, of course!"

Emilie shook her head. This was getting nowhere. 

"Tikki, you are forbidden from putting razor blades in Gabriel's coffee." The kwami just glared and Emilie looked away. "I'll let you roam around for the day, but you are not to misbehave in the meantime, and keep hidden from those who don't know about you." She capitulated, giving her kwami some freedom. In a split second, a red blur flew over the door as it opened, revealing Felix, who was holding a portfolio, several stacks of paper, and had a phone lodged on his shoulder.

"Yes, thank you, put it on my tab." He said, then looked up. "My apologies Mrs Cheng, it seems a situation arose that needs my attention." He somehow managed to end the call and stash his phone in his pocket. He looked from Emilie to Gabriel and looked... Annoyed.

"I...Am not even going to ask." He said as his mother looked embarrassed. " Has the hospital at least been contacted?" More silence, Felix sighed, then got his phone back. "Hello, is this the...."

Since someone finally got the mind to remember that he was currently in need of medical attention, Gabriel allowed himself to relax, forcing himself to keep a pressure on his painful wound. The boy finally let go of his phone and turned back to his father, standing tall with a professional bearing.

"Of course, it had to happen on the first week of Miss Sancoeur's vacations, too..." He commented, putting the files and portfolio down on his desk, as well as a chip. "Here. Physical and numeric copies of the PR team's report so far. Adrien has been exonerated on accounts of him not being around her this particular day. However, Miss Rossi went Viral despite our best efforts. Her Selfie with her newer outfit did more ill than good and the overwhelming opinion is that it was, indeed, an attention grab. Unless we find something to distract them, it will hurt our name even more." He stated, crossing his arms behind his back. " I have a few solutions to address this, though I fear this will have to wait until you are a better state, I suspect, since Miss Sancoeur was the one in charge of coordinating the teams and I am a poor replacement for someone who was specially trained for this. If you will follow me, the ambulance should be ready for you."

The man nodded at his son and walked out, followed by his wife.

Felix shook his head, then sat on Gabriel's chair and opened his computer, inserting an usb key and putting himself to work. Access codes for the security cameras, manipulating the footage, a loop here and there, and his escapades as Renard Blanc would be safe to do for the foreseeable future... Now, to start stage 2 of the plan...

  
  


* * *

  
  


Gabriel arrived at the hospital while being inspected and given first aid by the paramedics. His palate had been completely shredded and his tongue was split in two. How it didn't hurt more, he suspected, was because TIkki likely dosed him with an anesthetic at the same time.

"Still, you're in luck Mister Agreste." A young man, likely a trainee, told him enthusiastically. "Rossignol is still making her rounds, she'll fix you up in a jiffy." Gabriel's interest was mildly piqued at that. A Female doctor called Nightingale. How on the nose.

His wife and him were led towards a very busy wing of the hospital, where personnel was leading patients in and out of the room. He was then made to wait for alf an hour before it was his turn. As he entered the room, he froze. 

In front of him was a tall , athletic black woman with greying hair pulled up in a tight bun. She was wearing a set of lavender-colored, butterfly-shaped glasses that were reminiscent of a visor, a futuristic black bodysuit covered with dark lavender segmented plates, and a white hip pouch with a red cross. To the man, she was faintly reminiscent of an Akuma, although this just couldn't be right. 

"Situation." The woman ordered, and the paramedic quickly listed Gabriel's injuries. "Very well. Commencing operation." She touched her pouch and its top opened, several glowing purple strings flying out of it and launching themselves towards a startled Gabriel. He could feel them wriggle and settle in his mouth, the pain quickly disappearing. "Operation complete. Patient will need to avoid hot and cold foods for a week." A glowing butterfly mask covered her face and pulsed, confirming his theory. The man's eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth, his fist pressing in his pocket, mind swirling with questions, hypotheses and explanations on the hows and whys appearing and being discarded as Hawkmoth realized that somehow, the Butterfly miraculous had escaped his grasp.

"I see. Thank you for your assistance ma'am. I wish you a good day." Nightingale said and was cocooned in white light, revealing a normal human and a white and purple butterfly fluttering away. Gabriel tried to follow it, but the paramedic held him back.

"Sorry sir, but following the butterflies or recording them is forbidden. Nobody wants people getting ideas like stealing butterflies or tracking down Dame Papillon, you see." 

"I...See." Gabriel answered impassively, positively seething on the inside. "How long has this...Dame Papillon... Been active?"

"Oh, been around two weeks now. Internet was calling her Lady Midnight, but it kinda sounded like a stripper name so when Esculape said she was underage, you better bet they put an end to it faster than Mayor Bourgeois fires his employees." The person escorting him outside commented. "Don't need people grossing the poor girl out, she's already spending all her nights turning people at hospitals and police stations to help. Fighting the good fight, that one. Lord knows when I was her age I'd have pranced around on rooftops in a costume instead, and can you imagine if a creep got her powers? Turning people into villains left and right?" He shuddered. "Thank goodness it was that girl who got them instead. The Champions all agree she's a sweetheart and I wish her all the luck. Well, here's your taxi, have a nice day sir!" The paramedic walked away, leaving an increasingly furious and worried Gabriel and his wife to enter the taxi.

When he arrived home, he saw Felix manning the desk, wrestling the demon called paperwork into submission, as well as making several calls.

"No, we didn't order ten pepperoni pizzas, you have the wrong number!" The boy insisted, clearly out of patience, and hung back.

The man ignored that however, striding as fast as he could towards the safe behind Emilie's painting and opened it, confirming his suspicions. The butterfly Miraculous had disappeared, and, stuck in the safe's door hinge, there was a single strand of long, chestnut hair.

Gabriel's eye twitched. He closed the safe and stomped to his office, sitting at his desk and looking at the security camera feed. He spent hours in there, looking for when this happened, until he finally got his answer. On Tuesday, two weeks ago, Lila Rossi opened his safe and closed it. Around the same timeframe she would have remembered about the Miraculous. Gabriel's anger turned into cold fury.

"I see... I see now... This is good.  _ Very _ good." He seethed. As he thought, only family could be trusted, and no one else. He forced himself to calm down, as there were several things that didn't make sense. Chief among them, he was under no illusions that Lila Rossi wasn’t a self-absorbed, manipulative, spoiled little brat, and the only reason why he didn't boot her out was because she made a wish regarding Adrien. Acting too rashly could hurt his second son, though he was nearing the last of his patience. As much as he disliked Miss Dupain-Cheng, she didn't come with any headaches and had some form of competence, though her spine made her troublesome to handle, it would be needed in her future career. No, the danger here was that Lila Rossi was his only point of contact with Rena Rouge and Carapace, and now in possession of the Snake and Butterfly, they had the advantage when it came to numbers. The question this raised, however, was the identity of the fourth member of their little cabal, the one he suspected was the new Butterfly wielder. Lila Rossi wouldn't be so selfless as to stay hidden and help people for free. A girl, likely their age and in their periphery would be responsible here. His first thought was Miss Dupain-Cheng, before he remembered that Rossi loathed the young designer, and the girl had been gravitating around his heir, not their group. The Rossi chit would never give her  _ Hawkmoth's  _ miraculous of all things. That left Gabriel with the conclusion that the most likely culprit would be one of their classmates, or at least someone in Rossi's cabal. He rose from his desk, and had his heir summon Adrien, as he crossed his arms behind his back and looked through the window. Soon enough, Adrien appeared, and Gabriel turned around to see his son looking as happy as ever, and chirped.

"You called for me, Father?" He asked curiously, without fear, and the man nodded.

"Indeed. It has come to my attention that Paris has attracted a new... super-heroine?" He asked, and Adrien positively beamed at that. Gabriel made appropriately interested noises as he sat, while the girl gave him a surprisingly thorough summary of what had been going on with Dame Papillon. Interesting... "And what do you think of her personally?" He asked, and Adrien had a light blush, looking down. 

"Ah, well, I don't know her personally." The boy tried to lie to his face and Gabriel sighed. 

" So it _is_ Miss Rossi." He concluded, seeing Adrien's face pale and wave his hands in denial, though it helped refine the man's hypothesis. Lila Rossi did have the butterfly Miraculous, and she was the one to summon Peacemaker during the attack on the school. Then, it was given out to their mystery fourth member, which explained the drastic change in methodology. "I see. Thank you for your time Adrien. You are dismissed." The boy tried to protest, but he relented and went away. He then steepled his hands on the desk, and decided on his next course of action. He got up, out of his office and went up to the desk Felix was manning and the boy gave him an annoyed glance.

"Send a call to Nathalie, her vacations are over." He said and walked away.

  
  


* * *

  
  


In a villa in Spain, basking under the Autumn sun, Nathalie Sancoeur was floating on her pool, arms and legs spread around like a starfish, a creamy mask on her face, cucumber slices over her eyes and a straw in the corner of her mouth. On her right, on a small floating coaster, was a coconut half filled with some sort of cocktail and on her left, Duusuu was floating in another cucumber half filled with milk, in which the Kwami was basking, a similar mask on her face and two tiny cucumber slices over her eyes. The kwami would be purring if she wasn't a peacock. Ewe Milk and Rose Oil baths were the best, they always left her feathers so smooth and her skin so soft. Nathalie gave out a slight snore. The kwami lifted one of her cucumber slices and looked consideringly at her Miraculous, strapped to one of the spaghetti straps of Nathalie's red bikini top, before shrugging, putting the slice back in place and going back to enjoying the bath. If Tikki was going to murder her anyways, might as well enjoy herself beforehand. Nathalie yawned.

"Duusuu, what time?" She asked, speech slurred by sleep, and the Kwami checked the time.

"Almost 10 AM." She answered dutifully, and Nathalie yawned once more.

"Almost time for the mani pedi, then.." She commented, and righted herself, swimming towards the edge of the pool, carrying Duusu's coconut with her. She then went to a brightly lit white bathroom with large windows, where a small basin of what smelled like lemon and cinnamon came in sight. Nathalie flipped a switch on the side of the basin and it began bubbling. She deftly rinsed the kwami, before plopping her in her Kwami-sized jacuzzi, putting a plate of her favorite custom order, extra rich chocolate volcano cake cut into pieces to make it easier to savor. 

"I'll be going now. Stay put until I come back." The woman said and rinsed herself, before drying off, putting on some clothes and walking out. Duusuu was content to stay and do exactly nothing, stewing on her kwami-cuzzi, when the phone rang. And rang. And then the voicemail activated and Duusuu heard the message. So Hawkmoth finally cottoned on to the fact that Nooroo had escaped huh? Duusu slowly got out of the bath, feet padding on the towel underneath it, and she then flew towards the phone. Being a secretary's kwami for years, she knew how to operate those things. Therefore, for the sake of keeping her wielder out of Hawkmoth's hands, and not at all to lengthen this vacation as long as possible, Duusuu made the executive decision of deleting the message and removing all traces of it, before going back to her jacuzzi, stewing in it and enjoying her human's offering of chocolate. 

When her human came back for lunch, her arms were laden with boxes of seafood, as well as several of those delightful praline-stuffed Swiss chocolate eggs, that she stacked next to Duusu's jacuzzi.

Aaaaah, this was the life, the kwami sighed happily, reaching for one of those eggs and eating it.

For all her faults, Nathalie Sancoeur certainly knew how to properly treat a Kwami and pampered her like the queen she was. She liked Nathalie, Duusuu thought, and will be sad when the time to say Goodbye comes.

  
  


* * *

Emilie Agreste was coming back from a meeting with the executives when she saw that her son was still manning the desk. Seeing it as an opportunity to bond with the son she didn't really know (and who shares her Nephew's name, a treacherous part of her brain whispered), she approached the desk, looking over the teen's shoulder, checking the hour. Midday. 

"Those earrings are clashing with the rest of your outfit, Mother." Felix said, without looking away from his screen and her hand rose to the Miraculous as she felt a sliver of self-consciousness that she immediately stomped down (Of course they clashed, they never were hers to begin with).

"Your father is running you ragged." She laughed slightly, looking at the faint shadows underneath his eyes (and she never stepped in to stop it). "Come here, dearie." Thankfully, mommy had him covered! The teen looked at her warily, before swiveling his chair to the side. She reached into her purse and got a tube of concealer for it. " Can't have you running around with those eye bags on your date with your little girlfriend~" She hummed as she applied it to the boy, who was behaving surprisingly docilely. Well, not so surprisingly, she mused (How he didn't loathe her too, she would never know).

Her memories told her Felix had always been cold and awkward, yet seeking his father's approval. The son who was expected to be perfect and groomed for it from an early age, while Adrien was a child of love. She felt...Upset at that thought. Family was the most important thing in the world, the Graham de Vanily family made sure to impart that fact unto each and every one of their descendants. Her husband refused to tell her the details of the other world, but when he was tired, or angry, he slipped. Never happy though, she mused. Never once did her husband look at her with the love and joy of their beginnings ever since he did as suspected and made a Wish.

She ought to feel devastated, Emilie thought, but whenever something bad happened to her, whenever she felt sad, for some reason, it disappeared, escaping her heart like water through a sieve. Sometimes, it made it hard to think, even. A slow haze covering her mind whenever she thought too hard about her  **_s i s t e r . . ._ **

  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  


Emilie Agreste blinked and smiled at her son.

"All done honey. Now go grab yourself something to eat, I'll hold the fort~" She told him, and the screen flared to life, revealing the face of one Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

"H-Hi? Special delivery?" She said, blushing slightly and holding a box of what seemed to be pastries.

"Oh my~" The woman teased her son who suddenly found the ceiling to be extremely interesting. "How time efficient. Of course you may enter dearie." She pressed the button that allowed the door to open and, sure enough, Felix' cute little girlfriend appeared.

"Hello Mrs' Agreste, it's nice to see you!" She beamed at the woman, who smiled back. Emilie's hand reached her mouth and she giggled.

"My my my~ I see how things are, this old woman will see herself out then~" Felix lightly pushed her out of the way, grumbling, and then pushed Marinette towards his room, but she could see his ears redden. Awwww, he was blushing.

"He says that the only hag here is Lila." Marinette shouted over her shoulder, before they turned a corner and disappeared from her view as she let out a startled laughter.

Once out of sight, Felix paused, rubbing his forehead.

"Alright, brace yourself." He whispered, taking the box out of her hands and opening her door, while Marinette was out of view. then spoke up in a normal tone "Tikki, I got your favorite."

The kwami floated up to him as he entered and put the box on the table.

"Dupain-Cheng cookies?" She asked hopefully as he opened said box.

"Try again." He said, and Tikki let out happy squeals.

"Marinette's Macarons!" she jumped in the box, burying herself under the confections. Felix cleared his throat nervously.

"Try again..." He said once more, and this is when Marinette hesitantly entered the room.

"H-Hi Tikki... Sorry it took me so long." She waved timidly, and the door automatically closed behind her. Felix sighed and barely had the time to put up another horror movie and amp up the volume, before Tikki let an ear-splittingly loud squeal, dropped what she was holding and flew like a red cannonball towards his previous holder.

Soon enough, Marinette was crying while TIkki was hugging the life out of her cheek.

Giving the girls some privacy, he turned to Plagg.

"I got you some camembert bread, that way you don't stink up my room." He brought his offering to the last piece of sanity this house held now that Nathalie was gone, who accepted it sleepily. The cat grumbled and purred, but otherwise didn't stir and Felix watched his movie until he felt Marinette sit next to him, Tikki on her lap.

"That was very nice of you." The kwami smiled and Felix looked away.

"It was merely a matter of time before it happened, seeing as I somehow obtain father's permission to invite her here." What was left unsaid is that TIkki would probably force the issue eventually, if he didn’t do it himself.

Marinette leaned against him.

"Well I appreciate that you got Tikki away from your mother long enough for us to talk." She kissed his cheek, before offering him a cookie, which he took and ate, looking at the movie.

  
  


* * *

  
  


When Gabriel Agreste came back home from checking on his various shops, it was already evening. His son was still manning the reception, but he looked noticeably more tired.

"Has Nathalie answered yet?" He asked, hiding his foul mood, and Felix shook his head.

Once may have been an accident, but the five times he had his son call were all met with the same answer. Utter and complete silence. He highly doubted that she had encountered an incident, and her loyalty was beyond doubt so, by elimination, the Peacock Kwami must have been intercepting those calls. Nathalie's vacation was supposed to last for two weeks, in order to give her a deserved breather, and his son some practical experience, and it seemed this would have to be the time he'd have to wait for her to come back. However, he still had a plan.

"Go retire for the night." He told his son. "Where is Adrien?" Felix stretched discreetly, and Gabriel allowed him this one act of impropriety on accounts of it being a charged day.

"Out with the witch and her two minions." He said. "They wouldn't take no for an answer and I had a scheduled call with your silk suppliers, so I prioritized the call."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed, but he nodded in clear dismissal and the boy cleaned up the desk before turning off the computer.

The man then walked to his office, where the cat Kwami was sleeping. 

"Plagg. Claws out." He ordered and soon, he was wearing his Black Cat costume. "Well then, Miss Rossi, it is time for us to have a little  _ talk _ ." He hissed.

  
  


* * *

Lila Rossi woke up with a jump when she saw someone lounging in a chair, looking at her. Th-That costume, it couldn't-

"I wouldn't scream if I were you, Volpina." A man's voice said, and she shuddered. Of all the times for Hawkmoth to come knocking... But why was he wearing the Cat Miraculous? " Now, I didn't believe it would be necessary to check up on you, so imagine my surprise when word of your little...  _ Activities reached _ my ears." He continued smoothly, and Lila shuddered

"I didn-" Hawkmoth interrupted her immediately.

"I do not care for excuses, Volpina. Where is the Miraculous?" He asked, and Lila froze, before working her jaw and forcing herself to talk.

"I... I don't have it anymore." She started.

"Oh? How so?" The man's claws looked wickedly sharp under the moonlight.

"I... Chat Noir. Chat Noir has taken it. He came back too and he's destroyed Alya's Miraculous and he's hunting us all down and he's looking for Ladybug..." Lila told him everything she knew, while the man's poisonous green eyes stared at her.

"I see..." He said. "I am most... _Displeased_... That you wouldn't report this to me as soon as he made his first appearance. However, I will give you one last chance, before I see myself forced to ...  _ Cut  _ my losses." His claws lengthened. "Bring me the Turtle Miraculous. Clearly letting you children have this much power was a mistake. Do not fail me again Volpina. You wouldn't like the consequences." He left the chair and jumped off the window, leaving a terrified and enraged Lila alone in her room.

Unknown to both, the entire encounter had been recorded by a stealthy fox, who then flew back in the streets of Paris, until they reached a certain room.

"Gee, Marinette, if you're going to make me work this much, I'm going to ask for a bigger salary~" Trixx ate the candied fruit Marinette was feeding her, wiggling happily as the girl scratched at a particular spot on her belly.

"Mhm, good job Trixx." Dame Papillon was smiling in her room monitoring Hawkmoth's increasingly negative emotions. The man looked... Pitiful. Like a glass that was broken and would never be able to be filled, with only the bad left at the bottom. She called Felix. "He's coming back. Is Tikki ready to pass the message to Plagg?"

"She is. Wish us luck." The other teen said, and the girl laughed softly.

"We make our own luck, Kitty." She answered and cut off the call. "Well then... The news said there was a heatwave, so I'll go activate Esculape tonight. Come here~" A butterfly came to her, to be sent to its regular partner.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Gabriel Agreste, or Black Cat, had just used his cataclysm on an ugly vase gifted to him by Audrey Bourgeois and was breathing heavily as the transformation fell.

"Gee, talk about unnecessary violence..." The cat commented as Tikki appeared in the room, clearly deriving joy from the man's frustration.

"You knew." He grounded out, and the  _ spotted pest _ had to look innocent.

"That you were a terrible human being? Why of course I knew?" Butter wouldn't have melted in her mouth.

"Chat Noir. You knew he was still around. Answer me Plagg." He glared at the cat, who rolled his eyes.

"Sheesh... Yeah yeah, I knew, what about it?" He answered in a lackadaisical fashion, and the man had to take a breath. The kwami was baiting him, he needed to keep a cool head. 'What about it' indeed...

"You know~" Tikki taunted. "With the effect on bad luck Chat Noir possesses, you essentially have no chance of winning unless I'm deployed."

"I am not putting Emilie in danger." The man answered immediately.

"Oh, so you're going to sacrifice Nathalie again." She looked at him with distaste and Hawkmoth laughed menacingly. Chat noir hat taken the Butterfly and the Snake? Then all he needed to do was to hunt him down.

"No. I have a far more easily discarded pawn to use as bait. One they Chat Noir won’t be able to ignore..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...Very....Close... to a BRAAAAAAAND NEEEEEEW DAAAAAAAAY
> 
> Remember that time Felix pushed Lila to claim credit for Peacemaker? Yeah, was for that conclusion.
> 
> Prep time, the paradigm is nearly set, and not gonna lie, this is looking more and more like a game of Werewolf/Mafia. Uninformed majority trying to sniff out the informed minority before they get geeked by them.
> 
> The long awaited Gabriel pov, with a side dish of 'lol guess who got the butterfly now' and some helpings of misinformation, courtesy from a certain spite duo.
> 
> So like, that fic is now officially a week old and I'm kinda floored on many levels. I didn't think I could write this much in so little time. Nanowrimo eat your heart out! I appreciate all the support and seein the amounts of comments on the last chapter was ba big, but very much appreciated, surprise, so I hope you guys all keep enjoying reading this thing I'm reiting!


	12. Celebrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Ladyblog shenanigans, Lila encounters Religion (spoiler:She loses), and Marinette is Very Appreciative of Felix 'can't get a break' Agreste's work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if it needs some warning or not, but the two murderchildren are kissing in this?

Halfway through the first week of his being volunteered as that man's secretary and assistant, Felix was just about ready to just march off to the man, punch him in the face and just rip the ring from his finger. Sure, he'd be stabbed by the man's sword that he always kept around in his office, but at least this suffering would end.

He was currently watching a movie with Marinette in his room, for some reason Adrien had shown up and nobody bothered to kick him out, so while the elder was dozing off on one edge of the sofa, Marinette and the younger blond were talking excitedly over something or another right next to him.

"What do you think, Felix?" Someone spoke to him and he looked at the duo from underneath his eyelashes.

"Hhm?" He hummed in question, not bothering with words. Adrien had the gall to pout at him.

"You didn't listen, did you?" He asked and Felix shrugged.

"I'm tired from doing the job Father intended for you to do. Not my fault you were off gallivanting with the witch. Feel free to walk up to him and take the spot, I could use more sleep." He closed his eyes and sighed, letting himself sink further in the cushions.

"H-Haha.. Sorry, I think I'll pass." The boy answered and Felix grunted in acknowledgement. "Anyways, Marinette and I were talking about making our own blog for superheroes! I said Ladyblog was a nice name but Lila and Alya didn't think so, and that a blog would be too much work, but I  _ really  _ think it's a good idea! That way we can have a section for thank yous, another to signal which champion is currently active and so on!" The boy was getting increasingly energetic and enthusiastic at the idea, while Marinette was barely repressing her laughter, evil woman that she was. "Marinette agreed to do the design and we were hashing out the sections, and then I remembered that you learned how to handle forums from that seminary Father had you attend five years ago!" Curse that boy's memory, he was worse than a dog with a bone. "So I was going to ask, could you pretty please help me with my forum? I feel it's really important, and if Father asks, we can say that since the Agreste brand has a butterfly Logo, it will help spread the brand's name by supporting our butterfly-themed heroine!" Felix opened an eye and looked at him sideways.

"Are you going to leave me alone if I say no?" He asked, sounding defeated, which the boy also heard.

"Nope! I know where you sleep, so there's no escaping me!" The little demon answered happily, while the wielder of the fox Miraculous just caved in and groaned, while Marinette's arm snaked behind his neck and began pulling him towards her. Exhausted and curious, he let her, until he found his head on her lap and her fingers combing through his hair.

"Come on, do it for me?" The girl asked and he glared at her. Darn it all, but the Ladyblog would help THE PLAN(TM)...

"Fine, but if the witch gets special rights, I'm shutting it all down." he huffed, and Adrien looked very conflicted at that.

"If... If that's what it takes..." He said hesitantly and even though his haze of sleepiness, Felix found himself raising an eyebrow.

"Lila has admitted that she didn't know a lot about forums, and she's usually so busy... Making her a moderator or administrator would be too much on her plate, right?" His girlfriend intervened, and Adrien immediately perked up.

"Yes. That's totally right, you're so considerate, Marinette!" He beamed at her, and Felix rolled his eyes before closing them to instead focus on this impromptu nap time. He fell asleep a few seconds later.

Marinette waited a few moments to make sure Felix was asleep, before she spoke in a more hushed tone, pointing at the blond that was slumbering on her lap.

"Sorry, but we're going to need to speak a bit lower, he'll probably murder Lila if we wake him up." Adrien chuckled and shook his head.

"It was bad enough that he pushed her in the fountain and claimed that it was to check 'if that bloodsucker was afraid of running water'. Where that even came from I'm not sure, but they really hate each other." The boy looked down for a moment, and Marinette put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Out of everyone, Adrien was the innocent one here, and she didn't want to see him hurt. After all, once upon a time, she was in love with him, before she fell for her partner, and wasn't that hilariously sad...

"Sometimes, people have personalities who clash and who never see eye to eye, it's not your fault that Felix and Lila happened to be two such people." She comforted the blond with the understatement of the century. It seemed to work on Adrien though, and a shy smile appeared on his face.

"Thanks Marinette, really." He said, before continuing after a short pause. "Felix isn't easy to handle, but I'm glad someone else sees that he's a nice person, under all that cactus exterior... He's a bit distant and doesn't like it when people mention it, but he's been taking care of me in his own way, so I was really worried when he transferred because he's a bit of an... erm, let's say 'acquired taste'." He scratched his cheek awkwardly and Marinette took back her hand, using it to muffle her giggling.

"You should have seen his face when Luka, his classmate” She explained "Decided that they were to be best friends on their first day and proceeded to harass him with his friendship. I've never seen Luka be so pushy before, and Felix looked like you had insulted his favorite book." Adrien grinned.

"Oh man I'd have liked to see that..." He said wistfully." But Lila wanted us to have coffee and fragged Nino and Alya into it so I couldn't follow you girls there." Ah ha! An opening!

"Speaking of coffee," Marinette interjected " What does she like? It's been three times she refused and I feel  _ terrible  _ at her continuously not having anything to drink." Though seeing the other girl's subtle twitching whenever Marinette offered was absolutely hilarious.

"Oh, she never told you? That explains things..." The boy nodded, frowning slightly, before his smile came back. "Okay, so, it might be a little complicated, but if anyone can do it, it's you..." Adrien started to explain, and Marinette's smile dimmed too subtly for the blond to notice. On her lap, Felix, as if following some sort of instinct, snorted in his sleep.

  
  


* * *

Adrien felt great today! The weather was fair, the wind not too strong, Felix didn't try to murder Lila even though she put pepper in his water, and it was a Marinette Delivery day! Everyone had gotten more and more tense here, all the other classes had a trip scheduled, but Lila was too busy for her duties and Alya with her investigations, so no one was left to do the job. No one would say anything, but it still rankled. There was some noise at the door and it opened, revealing Marinette, who looked a bit winded.

"Hi everyone! I'm not late, right? "She looked around, trying to catch her breath, while noticing the absence of Miss Bustier. "Good, not late." She headed back out, then back in, this time holding a box of sweets and carton of paper coffee cups. "Special delivery for the trio that needs more sleep and Adrien!" She chimed, revealing a bunch of chocolate glazed donuts with hazelnuts chips. Alya made grabbing notions while Nino grinned and Lila looked at Marinette's coffee dubiously. However, there was no way Marinette could get it wrong, he had helped her test it and he was fairly certain it was Lila's favorite blend!

"Hello darling, come to mama..." Alya was talking to the coffee that their designer friend was putting in front of her, cooing at it, before looking at Marinette with a wistful sigh. "You'd be the perfect woman if you didn’t have such a terrible taste in men, girl." Marinette laughed, but it looked a bit strained. Adrien winced at that, before focusing on something more important, which was the donuts!...Besides, Felix would sort her out all on his own if this got out of hand and he, for one, would prefer to stay out of the blast zone, call him a coward if you must, but his brother was much scarier than Alya.

"Nonsense, Miss Dupain-Cheng just knows class when she sees it. But I shouldn't be expecting too much from  _ you  _ Césaire, after all, those glasses likely are not for show." ....Caaaase in point. Adrien Decided to sip from his coffee and pretend he didn't exist. On his right, Lila was eyeing her paper cup as if it was going to bite her, scowling. Hmmmm...

"Bite me Agreste!" Alya growled and Felix finally came into view. carrying a large paper box and several bags with him.

"No thanks, I don't know where you have dragged you sorry carcass." He answered easily, walking towards the teacher's desk, attracting everyone's attention while Alya was fuming.

"Aaaaalright!" Marinette clapped her hands, getting everyone's attention and obviously trying to break the argument. "I've already cleared it with miss Bustier, so we have a bit of time, and, well, Today is Rose's birthday, so..." Adrien looked with interest as she walked to the box and lifted its cover, revealing a two tiered cake covered in white frosting and with what seemed to be pink roses made from almond paste. From the bags Felix was carrying, she got a few different kinds of juice, as well as paper cups and plates, plastic spoons and a larger knife to cut the cake. "So I figured we could have a small party for her?" Marinette smiled a bit shyly and Adrien nodded.

"Great idea Marinette!" He exclaimed, giving her his support, before turning to Rose and beaming at her. Lila finally took a sip from her coffee, her eyes widened, and she scowled. But why? The blend was perfect, he knew because he tasted it... She got up and smiled sweetly at Marinette. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry Marinette, but it's too sweet for me!" Adrien frowned at that. Lila loved sweets, why would she lie about that?. " I need to watch my calorie intake you see." She giggled, walking towards her. " I mean, it's nice of you to try, but please  _ stop ignoring me  _ okay? " Behind Marinette, Felix approached, fiddling with something. "I can't take that much sugar and cream, you know that... I-Is it that you're envious of my physique ? If that's the case, I can recommend you a gym to get rid of your excess fat." Lila looked very sad, now sniffling "I-I thought we were friends Marinette! Friends don't sabotage each other like thaaaa-" And she tripped (over nothing? She was a model and knew better than that…), her cup and its hot contents sailing through the air towards Marinette and the cake. The girl's blue eyes widened suddenly and as she was about to be hit, a black umbrella opened, causing the cup to bounce back, its contents spilling harmlessly onto the ground. The umbrella then moved, and closed, revealing that it was Felix who saved the Day. Lila was whimpering on the floor and holding her leg.

"My leg, it hurts!" She began sniffling and Adrien felt compelled to be by her side, do he did, helping her sit up. She grabbed his arm and cried in his chest, while he could hear Felix' sigh of exasperation. 

"You." He pointed at Kim, who pointed at himself. "Yes, you, you look like you are an athlete, correct?"

"Uh, yeah? I run ?" He answered hesitantly, and Felix nodded.

"So you are quite familiar with leg injuries Correct?" He nodded again, and pointed at Lila, who froze. "Would you mind checking what is wrong with hers? Depending on what it is, it may be dangerous to try moving her." Kim's eyes widened and he nodded faster.

"On it!" He approached Lila, who shrunk.

"Oh no, I couldn't trouble you with that, I'll just go to the infirmary..." 

"If your leg hurts you badly enough that you have to be  _ carried  _ to the infirmary, then it definitely needs people troubling themselves over it, Rossi." He rolled his eyes as Kim began examining her.

"I don't know man, her muscles and ligaments are okay, her socket's just fine, maybe it's in her foot?" He began tugging at her shoe, and Lila held it in place.

"I-I really don't think-" She started, but his brother immediately interrupted. 

" _ God _ , Rossi, Nobody cares about your  _ extra toe _ !" He was obviously running out of patience, while Marinette was walking around with a bucket and a mop to clean up the mess..

Lila's expression turned into one of indignation and, with her distracted, Kim managed to take off her shoe.

"Nothing looks wrong here either, man. We sure she's actually hurt?" He asked, confused, as he put Lila's shoe back on her foot. The girl began to cry.

"I'm n-not a liar! I-it really hurts!" She sobbed, her eyes filled with tears and, to Adrien's surprise, Felix nodded.

"I see. I think I identified the cause then. Adrien, help her up." His brother ordered, and while the blond didn't know what it was about, if it helped Lila get better, he was willing to try, though he had a bad feeling about that... Soon enough, Lila was standing, leaning onto Adrien and sobbing. 

"Good." He said, getting a book and a bottle of clear liquid in it. He cleared his throat. "Now, I am inexperienced in this, but I think this problem has a psychosomatic cause, therefore, my treatment may be a little bit experimental. Adrien, please unclamp Rossi from your arm and hold her at arm's length."

Now, Adrien was certain something was up, but he still did so. The tension was almost palpable in the class as Lila was staying up with one leg to support her way. Felix cleared his throat once more, raised his book and his entire posture changed. Normally, it was a bit easy to forget, because he always tended to hunch over Marinette from behind, but Felix was taller than anyone in the class, so his standing straight, with a glacial expression on his face and an intense look in his eyes... Well, even Adrien had shivers and he wasn't the target. Holding the book high up in the air, his voice boomed.

"  _ Crux Sacra est mihi lux _ !" The hand holding his book flew towards Lila's face, who shrunk and took a step back. "  _ Non Draco sit mihi dux _ !" He stepped forwards and his hand stopped right in front of Lila's forehead, who had let go of Adrien and looked terrified, the book was just a few centimeters away from the top of her face and with his free hand, he opened the bottle and made a wide arm movement, making its contents fly and splash on Lila's face, who screamed and clutched at her head, taking a few step backs. People looked about ready to intervene, but Felix almost roared.

" **_Vade Retro Satana!_ ** _ Nunquam suade mihi vana! _ " The girl finally had enough and ran away from the classroom, hurtling against a few students who were recording the video. Felix just relaxed, concluding with a " _ Sunt Mala quae libas, ipse venena bibas _ .", nodded to himself and started putting his things back together.

The class was utterly silent, Alya, Adrien noticed, just about ready to claw his brother's eyes out, Nino's mouth had dropped.

"So cool..." Juleka muttered, looking at Felix with wide eyes. The older boy turned back towards them, and waved his hands.

" _ Behold _ , Lila Rossi's leg was fixed." That had everyone in the room look surprised.

"Huh. It worked." Kim said. Then, there was a sound, in a corner of the class. They turned around and saw Chloé, red face, holding her sides and obviously dying in laughter. Marinette was looking away, hunching and trying not to laugh, and Adrien had a feeling he was missing something.

"Now, I may be a miracle worker, but this does not mean that I am allowed to skip class." He nodded towards Rose. "See you tomorrow, Miss Lavillant." Then walked out of the room with an aplomb that made Adrien doubt the last minutes even happened.

"So..." Marinette started, and Alya exploded.

"What the hell is  _ wrong  _ with your boyfriend, M?!" She rounded up on Marinette, who shrunk. "It's bad enough that you're letting him insult Lila all day long, but have you seen how much the liquid hurt Lila?! What if he threw acid at her face!" Juleka frowned, hugging Marinette from one side, while Rose hesitantly did the same from the other.

" _ Back off  _ Alya, Leave Mari out of it." She glared at the reporter, who set her jaw stubbornly.

"Actually, this is just water." Max lifted the bottle, who had a cross symbol on it. "According to my research, this is a bottle of holy water that you can purchase on the internet." Chloe's laughter increased in volume and she allowed herself to fall onto the next chair.

"Holy water..." Nathaniel murmured, before his eyes widened. "I remember now! What Felix said, it's a prayer to exorcise the Devil!"

" _ What?! _ " Alya's rage levels increased as Chloe's legs batted the air in a futile attempt to stop laughing, and Nino put his arms on her shoulder.

"Shhhh...Calm down babe... Let's see how Lila is, okay?" The two walked out and Adrien felt torn. On one hand, as Lila's boyfriend, he should stand by her. On the other...

Marinette sighed, then clapped her hands once more.

"Alright, change of topic, who wants cake?" She tried cheering up the class and, to her credit, it worked. Adrien smiled proudly at Marinette, she didn't let anything keep her down and was a great friend!

Adrien decided to follow Felix' advice of doing things that made him happy for a change and stayed for the cake. Praline, chocolate, nut brittle and whipped cream. Adrien almost moaned as he ate it.

"Your mom is a  _ goddess,  _ Marinette." He said, and Marinette blushed prettily.

"Ah, no... I made it myself..." She said, and Adrien nodded. He may not have really known her until this month, but this sounded like her.

Adrien took another piece of cake and savored it.

  
  


* * *

Felix gleefully and shamelessly rode the high of publicly humiliating the witch for the rest of the school day, earning himself an amused look from Luka as the other boy watched the video currently memed to death on the internet.

"Dare I ask if she deserved it?" He asked, and Felix nodded seriously. The other teen came back to looking at the video and even he couldn't help but let a small laugh escape.

"That and more." Felix said.

"What did she do?" Luka grinned, and the blond thought about it.

"In no particular order, she kicked a cat, tried to boil Marinette's face off, annoyed me, molested my brother, stalked the both of us... And a few more that aren't mentionable in polite company." Luka's eyebrow raised at that, earning himself a scoff from Felix. "Please, I would not behave this way if she were innocent."

He almost felt insulted by the other boy's dubious hum, and that was that. People were giving Felix a wide berth, pointing at him with their phones, and he confidently strode towards his classes.

When he left school, he had a bit of time for himself and so headed towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery, where Sabine welcomed him.

"Hello dear, here for Marinette?" He nodded and she smiled knowingly. "Make sure the trapdoor is unlocked, I'm going to want to check up on you two." The blond spluttered at that.

"I assure you, Mrs Cheng, that I-" The woman interrupted him.

"Oh, nonono, dear. It's not  _ you  _ I'm worried about." She winked and pointed at the door. Nonplussed, the boy headed towards Marinette's room. He knocked, and heard a small commotion.

"F-Felix?! Wait a second!" Her voice came from her room, which made him feel a bit concerned. and leaned his ear to see if he could hear anything "  _ -didn't think I'd get to use it so soon, but  _ of course _ Mr. Felix 'I am perfection incarnate how dare you think otherwise' Agreste had to pull that off- _ " She sounded pretty irritated with him. Did he do something wrong? Nooroo's voice was fainter, but still audible.

" _ Calm down Marinette, if you don't feel comfortable with it, you can still call it off, this isn't what I meant by- _ "

"No!" she shouted, and he leaned away from the ladder leading to the trapdoor as he heard Marinette's feet pad along the floor towards his direction.

"Okay, you can do this Marinette.... Uhm, Felix? This is going to sound a bit odd, but could you keep your eyes closed until I say it's okay to open them." Marinette asked, sounding positively nervous, and Felix now felt intrigued.

"Very well." He said, closing his eyes, curious about where this was going, and Marinette helped him up, slowly leading him to sit on her bed. He then felt her sit at a distance from him, then, Nooroo spoke up.

" For the record, I would like to say, that this is  _ not  _ what I meant by 'spending time in a way that sounds rewarding instead of work'."

"Hush, there are sweets for Trixx and you in the dresser." Marinette said, shifting on the bed nervously. "Okay, I can do it, probably.  _ Oh god what if I trip and accidentally punch you and you end up blind and end up hating me and _ -" Felix laughed.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you before it comes that far, my Lady." He interrupted her spiraling and she fell silent, then made a frustrated whine.

"Alright! I'll hold you to it!" he felt the mattress sag closer to him. "Y-your eyes can open.. I mean you can open your eyes!" Felix did so, and time stopped.

In his brain, there were three different reactions. The Chat noir inside of him was on his knees, hands joined and raised up in prayer while crying dramatic tears as beams of light came down from above, thanking Plagg for making this possible, the Adrien side of his personality was lying dead in a pool of blood, clutching his heart, while Felix was analyzing her outfit trying to distract himself from the fact that he was slowly losing it-

Her hair was done up in two triangular-looking buns reminiscent of cat ears with green and black striped ribbons, a black cartoonish cat face accessory in front of the knots. Around her neck was a simple black ribbon tied in a butterfly knot at the back and with a small golden bell at the front. She was wearing a frilly and long-sleeved green off-shoulders tunic dress with black spaghetti straps and a black ribbon fastened over her ribcage, under her chest area. The dress was short enough to reveal the black pumpkin shorts with lace at the hems she wore underneath, Black thigh high stockings with emerald green cat prints, and she wore a similarly colored black hoodie with cat ears affixed to the hood that she wore down, hanging from her forearms.

By the time Felix finished his analysis he realized he had nothing else to distract himself with as he felt his face grow increasingly hotter and his stomach knot himself without his say so. Marinette's face was also red and she leaned towards him, supporting her weight with one arm, and raised her hand next to her head, closing in into what Felix really tried not to think of as a cat's pa-

"S-So... I have heard a certain  _ purrdy purrdy _ boy has been d-doing _ ameowsingly _ well - " _ She was making cat puns, why was she making cat puns-, _ Chat Noir, traitor that he was, joined Adrien in an imaginary puddle of blood, leaving Felix alone to face that onslaught. "S-So, I, uhm, Decided that the  _ purrdy  _ boy needed a reward for doing so well?" She hesitated in front of his lack of reaction, advanced one of her knees to support her weight, raised her other hand in a pow and tilted her head, causing the small bell to chime, her face just about to take fire. "M-Meow?"

Oh, so this was how Felix died, he realized. He felt the need to vocalize the garbled mess that was his thought before this fragment of clarity left him.

"Tikki, strike me down, for I have beheld perfection." He said very seriously, before allowing himself to fall on his back, hiding his burning face underneath a pillow to keep himself from ogling his partner.

Somewhere around him, he could hear Marinette making muffled cries of embarrassment, and this is how Sabine Cheng found them.

"I told you you weren't the one I worried about, dear." She said, sounding smug. "Your mother called and the driver should be arriving soon, so please stop trying to smother yourself with the cat pillow."

The blond would like to point out that it was a very appealing idea at the moment, but he sat up as Sabine left, trying not to look in the direction of the girl.

"I-I'll be going then..." He said, his voice a bit higher than usual, and as he was getting up, a pair of hands grabbed his face, Marinette's _ softsoftsoft-wasshe wearing gloss?!  _ Lips pressed against his, a garbled noise of surprise, faintly resembling a whine escaping from his throat as he sat back down. Still holding his face, she leaned back slightly, staring at him with her blue blue eyes. 

"I've been in love with you for years, have had to deal with you prancing around in that catsuit for just as long, and you have just given me one of the best memories of my life, you ridiculously handsome idiot.  _ Let me have this _ ." She almost growled, and Felix' surprised noises were muffled again as her hands snaked behind his head, into his hair, and she almost smashed their lips together. Dead Adrien and Dead Chat twitched and Felix decided to stop thinking too hard. Or at all, as his hands cradled Marinette's face and he answered in kind.

He felt the girl smile as she murmured. 

"Ready to show them who's boss?" She said in a breathy voice, and Felix no-brains(allowed-here Agreste just answered.

"You...the... You're boss?" He answered dizzily, and Marinette gave out an adorable giggle.

_ "Purr-ecisely _ ." She answered as he was  _ dying inside _ and went back to kissing him. That made it all better. He felt the girl's hand slowly inching down, running along his chest as his fingers slid along her neck and-

"Yo, Girl, we need to talk-"The trapdoor slammed open, revealing Alya Césaire. Felix jumped away, face bright red, while Marinette was outright glaring at the other girl, who dropped her phone and pointed at the two.

"I... My driver must have arrived. I'll see myself out." He walked out of the room, looking at precisely no one.

After the blond left, Marinette crossed her arms and glared at Alya mulishly, cheeks puffing in irritation. That backstabbing traitor of an ex-friend didn't have enough with the last time or enabling Rossi, oh no, now she was crusading to ruin Marinette's chance of finally getting the blonde out of that- She viciously stomped on that train of thought, blushing and cursing Luka for even mentioning it, and went back to being angry at Alya.

"Giiiiiirl..." Alya just said, and Marinette's eye twitched.

"Yes Alya~?" She said sweetly with a clear 'I want an explanation and it _ better be good _ ' edge to her voice. The other girl cleared her throat and looked at Marinette's outfit instead.

"You weren't wearing that today." She said leadingly, and Marinette just smiled.

"I save my cutest clothes for when I'm with my boyfriend. It's normal, right?" She answered, knowing what Alya was wondering about.

"Yeah, it checks out... Anyways, I , uh, wanted to ask you if you could get Felix to back off for a few... Lila really took it badly this time." Marinette's molars were being ground so hard she was surprised Alya didn't hear them.

"I can't promise anything on his behalf, but I'll try." She chirped, trying really hard not to think about how Alya  _ dared  _ to interrupt her to talk about  _ Lila of all things _ \- 

'Calm. Calm Marinette. Can't break the Nice Girl façade now.'

"That's all I can ask." Alya gave her an utterly relieved look, er shoulders sagging. "So, errr, sorry about... You know... Interrupting. You looked pretty into it." Marinette's smile began cracking and Alya noticed, though thankfully, she assumed it was because she was angry at being stopped when she _could have_ \- ahem. When she was actually angry at Alya not apologizing for screaming at her this morning.

"Mhm~" Marinette said sweetly. "I've been planning this surprise for  _ weeks _ ~." She slowly got up and walked towards Alya, who was clearly looking for an escape, then she let her hands fall heavily on her shoulders. "Seeing as this time was an accident, I'll let you off, but next weekend is our first date and I'd absolutely  _ hate  _ to be interrupted again, m'kay~?" She chirped happily, and Alya nodded quickly, eyes wide and face a shade paler than usual. " _ Good.~ _ " She let go, and the reporter gave her a hurried goodbye before running out of the room, leaving Marinette to stew on her anger. So, of course, like every other time she was angry, she began plotting.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Felix took his time in the Limousine to tidy himself up, his face having not yet resigned his original color when he was forced to enter the manor, to see Mother at the reception and that man behind her. She looked at him knowingly aaaaaand it was back. Curse his pale complexion and hormones.

"Had a good time honey?" She asked teasingly and she laughed at the utterly betrayed expression he had. "Oh, do calm down, I know you didn't have enough time to do anything serious~."

" _ Mother _ !" He hissed in embarrassment, and the woman pouted.

"Your father isn't going to do it so it's my duty as your mother to tease you about it instead!" She said fake seriously. 

"Speaking of which." The man stared down at Felix, killing his somewhat good mood. "I have been made aware of your little stunt regarding Miss Rossi." 

"Better laugh about it and keep people from thinking too hard about the fact Rossi tried to attack a classmate on camera." Felix immediately killed the other man's rant before it could happen, and that man nodded pensively.

"Indeed." Was all that man answered. "You may take ten minutes to refresh yourself. Go back to your duties afterwards." He ordered and walked away. Felix nodded to his mother, not trusting himself to say anything and stomped off to his room. Why did they all have to ruin everything, the more childish side of his personality whined, as Felix reached for his mirror to check his appearance.

" _ I smell Marinette on you _ ...." The red and black kwami hissed, popping from behind his shoulder and glaring at his reflection. The blond felt a headache creep on him and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'll let you two have some girl talk and plot Cesaire's bloody murder tonight. Just... Just  _ leave me alone _ for now." He sighed, and the kwami stared at him, before nodding, flying away.

Felix just stared at the emptiness that was his wall, and surprised himself by wishing for Nathalie to come back earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BRANNNNNND NEEEEEEEW DAAAAAAAAY!
> 
> I think we're gone past 'Lila Bashing' at this point...
> 
> As you can see, Felix standing up to Lila publicly, exposing that she's a liar, humiliating her AND saving the birthday cake is much appreciated. Alya's talent to find interesting stories lands her on our butterfly heroine's hitlist and leaves her terrified with many questions. Adrien is getting suspicious, and the poor grumpy catboy has feelings and doesn't know what to do with them.


	13. Unmasked?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix' rule of terror continues (now on phone), Alya investigates, Misdirection everywhere, and just as many idiots.

_ In a chat far, far away... _

The Clown is I: So like, are we going to talk about how we have The Exorcist in our class?

Contralto: No. I'm not even in your class.

Sad boy: Dude, Mendeleiev's eyeing you right now.

Contralto: Why am I even in this chat.

The clown is I: Because you're bored and rooooneryyyyyy...

The clown is I: U still here?

Sad Boy: p sure she put you on mute.

The clown is I: Princess is feeling prickly today I see! But it's okay, I'll redeem her through the power of my luuuuuuurve.

Contralto: Don't. You. Dare.

The clown is I: Oooooh, she's breaking out the punctuation, how scary~

Sad Boy: Dude, Mendeleiev is walking towards you!

Sad Boy: Aaaaand she confiscated his phone.

Contralto: I couldn't care less.

Sad Boy: Sooo.... Wanna talk bad about that Rossi Chick that's been annoying you lately?

Contralto: I thought you'd never ask!

The clown is I: Oooh this oughta be good...

Contralto:  _ How are you still here?! _

Sad Boy: Please don't tell me you have an extra phone in case the first one gets confiscated.

The clown is I: Okay, I won't!

Sad Boy:  _ Oh god _ ... aaaand he lost his phone again.

Contralto: So, that Rossi girl, she's in my year and would you  _ believe  _ all the things she said in her class? Tinnitus from saving Jagged Stone's kitten, arthritis that keeps her from writing, and everyone else is lapping it up!

Sad boy: Uh huh. Must be tough.

Contralto:  _ Thank you! _ In any other class, it wouldn't fly, but of course, she had to be in that one! She's even tried to start bullying a girl and nobody batted a single eyelash save her goth friend and said friend’s girlfriend.

Sad Boy: Yikes.

Contralto: Now, that girl is boring and a complete loner, but she's like a walking marshmallow, where even is the fun in that?

Sad Boy: It's probably because she's a marshmallow. The Lila girl is probably aware on some level of how terrible she is and is trying to take out anyone better natured than her?

Contralto:...That actually makes a lot of sense.

Sad Boy: Besides, there's also that other girl, Mayor Bourgeois' daughter, right? I hear she used to be the meanest bully around for the longest time, so the class is probably so used to her level of bully that they don't even notice it if somebody's trying to be subtle about it. They're, uhh... Desensitized?

Contralto: ...Yeah. She's too busy fighting with Rossi right now to do anything else.

Sad Boy: Yeah, it shows. She mellowed out a bit tho, I think, hasn't shown up in any article this year yet. Our resident Fashion Brigade officer, on the other hand...

Contralto: The Older Agreste, right? 

Sad Boy: Yeah, No idea how Luka even managed to get that icicle to tolerate him, but Clown and I have known him since kindergarten and the consensus is that he's a fairy, so it makes sense that Agreste would despise him less than the rest.

Contralto: Huh. Oh, I almost forgot. It didn't show on the web, and I didn't hear anyone talk about it, so you see, that marshmallow girl Rossi tried to boil alive with her coffee?

Sad Boy: Yeah, really OOC of Agreste to use that umbrella, but maybe he was worried it'd splash on his shoes.

Contralto: Nope, she's dating Agreste!

Sad Boy: ...Adrien is two-timing?

Contralto: The other Agreste.

Sad Boy:...

Sad Boy:  _ Holy Shit _ .

The clown is I: Hey guys, I am back and !!!!<zeufpinebvijhirbfivuJQBZÖFI

The clown is I:IUQNERIBVPIuznefkna^ùeoivnhiuqenblijrgtvnlskitrubgvmqu

The clown is I:pqoienrfujvqbpierbnmajfnerjkghbvliyqbrmnqJZNER

Contralto:  _ please  _ tell me he's having a seizure.

Sad boy: _ I don't even know how he's  _ typing _! _

The clown is I: But she's so cute and tiny and has  _ pigtails _ ! She can't be dating the Dark King of Class 1-1!

Contralto: He's the one who carried her bags in for the birthday party.

Sad Boy: Sorry, SoD broken, Agreste is Ace af.

Contralto: >Links photo<

The clown is I: Holy shiett he's actually not frowning on that one! Who's that girl, I need her to reveal her secrets on how to appease the Dark One!

Contralto: Unless you're willing to make out with him, I doubt it would work.

The clown is I: You say that like it's supposed to scare me *wagging eyebrows*.

Contralto: What.

Sad Boy: Clown, for the love of _ god _ ...

The clown is I: Hey, he may be an asshole, but he's a  _ hawt  _ one! I know you've seen the abs he's hiding under that turtleneck of his!

Sad Boy: TMI dude...

Contralto: Ewwww... 

Sad boy: _ How the hell are you even typing?! _

The clown is I: I had a third phone in my right sock just in case.

Contralto:  _ What. _

Sad Boy: _ ...The fuck _ .

The clown is I: Not even Mendeleiev can stop me MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA! I'm a genius.

The clown is I: But like, can we go back to the fact Felix 'I am better than you in any possible way' Agreste, Dark God of our class, Officer of the Fashion Brigade, Leader of the THOT Police and apparently part-time exorcist is dating a girl that doesn't look like she can even hurt a fly?!

Contralto: Chloe bullied her for years and she didn't even strike back. That's how harmless she is in her default state of being.

The clown is I: Holy Shit she's probably a saint. And Luka's a fairy. _This all makes sense,_ Felix is probably such a misanthrope that his 'no not approach' aura filters and only lets in people that areaeunkmqkejunrdlciqubv-

Sad Boy: Wanna bet on Mendeleiev taking this one too?

Contralto: Class is over, she wouldn't care.

Sad Boy: True.

The clown is I: Felix Agreste _does not_ appreciate the three of you gossiping about his possible love life, and appreciates even less being ogled at. Please desist before I am forced to take action, Haprèle, Bourgeois, Kanté. Couffaine cannot save you from me every time.

Sad Boy:...Meep.

Contralto: You don't scare me Agreste! Meet me in the pit you coward!

The clown is I: We will see...

Sad Boy: So, uh...

Contralto: Don't say it.

The clown is I: How did he even  _ know _ ?! I was two rows behind him! I swear the guy has eyes behind his head or something!

Sad Boy: Dude, we have a problem here.

The clown is I: What ?

The clown is I: Oh. Uh... Awkward...

The clown is I: Well, I guess it's time for introductions then?

Sad Boy: So it seems.

Contralto: Kill me now.

The clown is I: So like, Hi! I'm Claude Haprèle! I have a younger half-sister in your class apparently!

Sad Boy: ... Gavin Kanté. My younger brother is also in your class.

The clown is I: Lol, don't listen to him, his name is Gavro-

The clown is I: Dude, you just went up to me and hit me! Not cool!

Contralto: Ugh, you clowns are back at it. Fine, this is absolutely ridiculous. My name is Chloe Bourgeois.

Sad Boy: yeah, we kinda guessed.

Contralto: ...What?

The clown is I: Weeeeell... Like, girl, we love you, but you're a _ stone cold _ killer. Just to prove you could do it, you streamed yourself playing every FNAF game,  _ back to back _ , and you sounded  _ bored _ . Even without the webcam picture, there were, like, only a few choices to pick from, especially from the underclassmen. Chloé Bourgeois was the best fit.

Sad Boy: What he said. Plus, you pick a fight with Agreste almost every day as a greeting. 

The clown is I: Let's not forget you actually punched a terrorist in the face and got away with it.

Sad Boy: What we mean to say is, yeah, we've known it's you for a while, and we know you've been trying to be better.

Contralto:...This doesn't make us friends.

Sad Boy: Duly Noted.

The clown is I: Coming from you, I'll take that as a confession of undying love. That's what Luka does whenever Felix says that.

Contralto:  _ One more word _ , and I'm coming to your class, skinning you, and tanning your hide to use it as a  _ leather purse _ , Haprèle.

The clown is I: Awwww, the Princess is all buzzing and fuzzy and embarrassed, how adorable~

The clown is I: Hey Chlo, does that mean we can start having multiplayer game sessions?

The clown is I: Chlo?

Sad Boy: Angry bee coming from your 8 o'Clock.

The clown is I: Wait, whauirpqioejnrfpmivbyys

  
  


* * *

On Saturday Evening...

"I'm not sure this is a good idea..." Nino, transformed as Carapace, trailed off, carrying Alya and Lila. The reporter had her phone at the ready as they landed on Marinette's house's balcony. It was almost covered in flowers, despite the fact October was coming soon, and Nino had to be careful about where he walked. Alya tried to open the entrance, to no avail.

"Of  _ course  _ she'd learn to lock it now." She muttered, and kneeled, getting a few long metal bits he never saw before.

"Lockpicks Alya?" Lila giggled teasingly. " How even did you get those?" Alya huffed as the lock clicked.

"Spoils of war" She said as she opened the entrance to Marinette's room. "Remember that cartel I helped bust? I went there as Rena Rouge to get evidence and found those. Illegal, but super useful. Let's go." She pointed as they slowly entered, taking care not to make any noise to alert the Dupain-Cheng couple, they looked around. Alya didn't notice anything particularly wrong, but took the lead nonetheless. "Lila, you check out the bed, Nino the desk, I'll do the dresser." The other two nodded and they started searching for something, anything, suspect. A few minutes later, they found nothing.

"Marinette is crafty, she could be hiding something easily..." Lila proposed, and Alya nodded. 

"There's still the dresser to check." She said, and Carapace shifted awkwardly.

"I'll, uhhh, look out, I guess." He rubbed his head and turned around as the two girls entered the closet. He waited for a few minutes, before his ears picked up something coming from... The rooftops. His eyes widened and he ran towards the closet, pushing the two girls further in and closing behind him. 

"Nino what the-Mph?!" Alya protested, but Nino had none of it and clamped his hand over her mouth as Lila peered through the slits of the dresser and took in a soft breath. Nino's eyes turned towards the bed.

A long, black tail belt started hanging from the ceiling, before a black shape dropped in the room. Chat Noir landed on the bed, holding Marinette with one arm.

"Annnnd here we are! Chat Noir  _ expurress  _ arrived at its destination, please leave us a positive rating on the Ladyblog~" The cat almost sang, his tail waving happily behind him, and Nino's inside felt like an ice block. He-He couldn't be seeing what he was seeing, right? Marinette rolled her eyes, pushed his arm, freeing herself from his grasp, and got up, walking to the chairs and sitting on one.

"How you know about Adrien's blog when it's not even online yet I have no idea and I'm not going to lie, it sounds a bit creepy. You're not stalking him, are you?" The girl asked him suspiciously and Chat looked at her with an innocent expression.

"Nope  _ Purrincess _ , this cat doesn't  _ stalk  _ people as  nice and upstanding as you, Mousinette!" He nodded seriously and crossed his heart. "Though, once you get your ears and tail back, I'll  _ purrobably  _ try to pounce on you one or two times, for old times' sake!" He chirped.

Marinette looked at the obviously crazy ex-superhero cautiously.

"Uhmmm... I'm not sure I follow what you're saying..." She raised her hands as the other tilted his head curiously. "Not that I'm not thankful that you rescued me from those thugs during the first day of school..." He  _ what _ ? She was  _ attacked  _ ?! "Buuut I don't remember being a superheroine or anything like that. Are you sure you got to right person?" Chat Noir's body hunched, and he began trembling.

"O-Oh, Chat Noir, I'm so sorry if I said something wrong..." Marinette slowly approached him, putting her hand on his shoulder, only for the other to suddenly grab her and squeeze her in his arms. From where Nino could see, she was clearly uncomfortable and had half a mind to intervene, but Lila put a hand on his forearm and shook her head.

"Nobody remembers, save the bad guy. Nobody remembers, but poor, lonely Chat." The blond said mournfully, his tone holding something that had Nino shudder. Marinette closed her eyes, breathed in, and opened them again.

"Alright. I'm going down to get you a bit of a pick me up. I don't really know why, but seeing you in that state is breaking my heart." The girl smiled awkwardly "So, uhm, cheer up, alright, and don't ruin my curtains!" She said seriously, pushing his nose with her index as he let her go.

" _ Purromise _ you're coming back?" The former Cat Hero asked, something in his eyes deeply unsettling Nino. Marinette just smiled.

"Yes, yes, I promise." She raised her pinky and they shook on it thrice. "Be right back, I hope you like croissants~" She went down the trapdoor and Chat just smiled widely, perfectly still. His smile turned a lot more predatory as his eyes narrowed at the trapdoor.

"Adorable Marinette, my cute Mousinette,  _ my sweet purrrincess _ , you of all people should know not to feed stray cats~" He hummed happily, his tail waving slightly and-Was it forming a heart?! Alright, _ that was it, that creep was going _ -Lila's nails dug into his arm and he bit his tongue. That's right Nino, remember the mission... Then, Chat Noir's head turned towards Marinette's Cat Pillow.

"What do you mean?" He asked as if he was having a conversation with it. "Mousinette is Mousinette, Buginette is Buginette, Marinette is Marinette, but is Marinette Mousinette Buginette?" Chat Noir had another perfectly still moment of pause, before continuing. "Oh, of course I'm not going to push the issue! My lady would be very cross with me if I ended up hurting Mousinette! They were best friends!" What? Nino's mouth dropped as some of his memories suddenly made a lot more sense, and he could see Alya's eyes widen dramatically as she took a step back, her hand touching the wall behind her and she frowned, turning back. Nino's eyes returned to the Cat, who was still arguing with the pillow.

"I'm _ just saying _ , Mousinette is waaaay too nice for her own good. What if bad people were going to try and take advantage of her?" The Turtle Miraculous user grit his teeth. What if, indeed. He glared at the oblivious cat. "Still, it will be so nice when I find my lady again..." He giggled. "Oh, if only Mousinette was Buginette, then I could just... _ Pick~her~up~ _ and keep her with me always. Ooooh, Mister Kitty, don't you wonder? Would Mousinette like a comfy shoebox to stay in? That way she can't run and I can protect he _ r forever and ever and eveeeeeer~  _ But now that will have to wait until I find my Lady!" Like  _ hell  _ he is- The trapdoor opened again and Marinette arrived, out of breath, carrying a plate filled with croissants stuffed with ham, mushrooms and cheesy bechamel. Nino smelled the food and felt his mouth water. Darn it, it was dinnertime, wasn't it?

Nino and his group had to watch Chat Noir eat those croissants in front of them, Chat with a lot more gusto than Marinette, and he ended up getting some cream all over his cheeks. The girl sighed and got a napkin.

"Don't move you silly cat." And didn't that term seem familiar... She said, as she cleaned his face. Chat expression was one of pure rapture. 

"My lady..." He whined. "Where are you... I keep searching but this useless cat can't find you..." Marinette hugged him.

"There there, as long as you try hard, you'll find her eventually right? Don't you have friends that can help you search?" The cat perked up at that and he plucked her from the bed to sit her on his lap, hugging her fiercely.

" _ Friends _ ! We had those, Mousinette! Friends Friends  _ Friends _ !" He began growling ominously. "The traitorous Fox! The cowardly Turtle! When the snake died and another wore its skin, all was lost for us!" Nino almost jumped as he saw Alya's face peering at the scene, arms clutching something. "But now the Snake is alive again! I think he stole one of my lives." Chat noir said pensively, as Marinette was squirming on his lap. "The fake snake has been skinned and will soon be eaten...The bee... Now, the bee has promise. Buzzing angrily around, more than ready to sting if approached, so, so different from the wasp before. Yes, the bee has promise. Thank you Mousinette." He nuzzled her, tucking her face in the crook of her neck.

"U-Uhm, Chat Noir? P-Personal space, please? I-I kind of have a boyfriend...." Unseen by the girl, the blond's expression turned terrifyingly empty and for a second, Nino felt scared on Felix' behalf. Then his smile turned impossibly wide, and Nino considered himself terrified.

"Oooooh~ Then this gentlecat will give you your  _ space _ . Thank you for the food, _ my cute little Mousinette. _ " Chat Noir let go, gave her a theatrical bow and left her room, leaving the girl alone. Marinette closed her eyes, put her hand to her mouth and hunched over herself, trembling slightly. Then, with a sob, she ran from her room, back into the house proper, and Nino finally allowed himself to breathe, waiting for a moment before slowly opening the closet's door and walking out. Lila was looking pale and pensive, while Alya looked more determined than ever.

"So, uhhhh..." Nino tried to speak, but found himself speechless.

"Th-That was terrifying..." Lila whined, hugging herself. "How could Marinette even  _ tolerate  _ being around him?!"

"Dudette, she probably doesn't have a choice." Nino pointed out. "That was real crazy in his eyes."

"Yeah..." Alya just said, opening the book as his expression turned increasingly somber. "And we have another problem on our hands..." She said as she stopped at one particular page. It was covered in grey, pink and white, with a ribbon stuck to it and the picture of a mouse. There were words written in it. ' _ I keep dreaming I was a mouse, why am I a mouse _ '  _ 'I've been having odd feelings since classes started, why would I be angry at Lila or disappointed at Alya? We never even talked? _ ' and so forth and so on. "I think they're all starting to remember, guys, that mean Ladybug might, too..."

"I-If Ladybug wakes up and finds us... We probably won't manage to beat her if she gets to Chat Noir first..." Lila whimpered. "I, I think we need to talk to Hawkmoth..." She said, and the two other teens frowned. "At least to warn him, he stands to lose as much as we do if the world is reset." She said, and Alya sighed.

"You sure you want to do it, Girl? That guy gives me the creeps. Good intentions aside, he  _ did  _ terrorize Paris for years..." Lila sighed, shaking her head.

"At that point, we don't have much of a choice anymore, do we? If Chat Noir isn't stopped, we all lose. Plain and simple."

The three of them kept silent.

"So, babe, your thoughts on..." He waved his hand at the bed, where the croissants still lay. Alya scowled.

"If we try to intervene, then Chat Noir will do something drastic. At least, that way, we know where he is and he won't go too crazy." The dark-skinned boy looked at his girlfriend in shock.

"Babe,  _ what the hell _ ! You're using Mari as  _ bait  _ for that psycho?! Have you even heard him talk? That dude sounded like he was one bad day away from kidnapping her and locking her up!"

"I  _ know _ !" Alya glared at it, her entire frame shaking in fury. "I know, but this is the  _ pragmatic  _ choice to make! We only have  _ you _ , Nino, we can't stop him on our own!"

"Th-That's why I was suggesting we ask Hawkmoth, actually..." Lila piped up timidly, and the boy looked away from his girlfriend.

"We were supposed to do the right thing..." Was the only thing he said.

"And we  _ are _ ." Lila insisted. "By giving Hawkmoth what he wanted, we spared everyone years of pain and fear, everyone is alive and well, and he hasn't attacked even once!" 

"Yeah, we rewarded him for years of terror." Nino spat, and Alya sighed.

"Believe me Nino, I hate it too, but at that time we didn't have a choice..." The boy just looked down as his girlfriend approached him, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.

"Hey, chin up, we're all in this together after all." He nodded stiffly and helped the girls out, carrying them to their respective houses.

Yeah, they were in this together, and a traitorous voice in his mind that sounded like Wayzz told him that this was exactly the cause of this mess...

  
  


* * *

After laughing herself almost sick from her little act with Felix, Marinette ate dinner with her family, then came back to her bedroom. She looked around quickly, then climbed to her balcony. There, she turned against the wall and dislodged a brick behind which was the Miraculous box, allowing the hidden butterflies to fly back to her room. She put the Butterfly pin back in her hidden pocket, allowing Nooroo to reappear.

"Hello again, Marinette. Did it work?"

"We'll have to wait and see..." she said as she turned on her phone and Called Felix. "The coast is clear." she said and, five minutes later or so, a white figure appeared next to her. "Time to see if all those acting lessons you took bore fruit, kitty."

"I'll be sure to hold you if you're feeling scared, bugaboo." He teased back, and Marinette retrieved an active camera from her closet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this now because idk if I can make it at my usual hour, so yeah, have it early!
> 
> Looks like years of fighting Lila with no backup save for Sabrina ( and she’s more like on and off between the two groups) and those Queen Bee memories had SOME effect on Chloe. Enter, our trio of resident Chaotic Dumbasses.
> 
> The first craaaaaacks, they're appeariiiiiing. Also, Felix loved those croissants, they tasted like pettiness and schadenfreude.
> 
> Now have a short excerpt of two idiotic murderchildren making a plan:  
> Prompt: Alya sus af, wat do?  
> Felix: Call the bluff!  
> Marinette: Plus Ultra!  
> Felix + Marinette: Hmmmmmmm…  
> Felix: When in doubt, go Chat noir?  
> Marinette: Fear tactics!  
> Felix: Crazy Chat Noir it is, but how to really mess with them?  
> Marinette: Crazy Lovesick Chat Noir!  
> Nooroo: Marinette, no, this is just Chat Bla-  
> Marinette: I shall embrace my fear and turn it into power! Like in the Batman comics Adrien showed me!  
> Felix: Are you sure it’s not just because you want me all over you?  
> Marinette: That too! God knows I can’t get you to do it when you're yourself and awake.  
> Felix *Surprised/Embarrassed noises*  
> Nooroo: Plagg... give me strength...  
> The end.


	14. Waterproofing plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Rose go to the gym, Lila goes swimming, and TIkki gets the joke.

Felix Agreste wanted to die. Now, this was usually his state of being nowadays, seeing as Nathalie wouldn't be coming back for a week and as such, he was killing himself over managing everything that man couldn't bother to do himself, buuut his new occupation, namely moonlighting as, well, not a superhero, but decidedly as a vigilante, demanded for him to increase his physical fitness and endurance, which led him in this particular gym. It was an odd one in that it was open on Sundays, though the fact it was pretty expensive also meant not anyone could go there... He slowed his running, typing the new commands to the treadmill, then walked for a while before stepping off the contraction. He grabbed the bottle he put down on the nearby bench and sat, drinking, completely out of breath. Looking around, there wasn't anyone he knew, until a small blonde head popped up from the lower floors. Rose Lavillant's face was flushed, and she was wearing a white T-shirt and pink biker shorts.

"Hi Felix!" She greeted, her arms hanging limply from her shoulders. "I'd wave but I don't feel my arms anymore!" She chirped, and the older blond nodded.

"I didn't expect any less, Miss Lavillant." He answered neutrally, earning himself a pout.

"I know you call me Rose when you talk to Marinette, so call me Rose now!" She protested, before sitting next to him and sipping some sort of drink. It had a light pink color and his nose informed him it smelled like strawberry. Felix just hummed noncommittally, and Rose began fidgeting slightly, side-eyeing him slightly.

After five minutes of awkward silence between the two, Felix decided to break it.

"Was there something you wanted to ask of me, Miss Lavillant?" He asked, and Rose jumped a little, nearly letting her bottle escape.

"O-Oh, umm..." She hesitated a bit. "You... You haven't commented on me being here... The others who know said it doesn't fit me since it's not girly..." She began hunching and Felix sighed.

"What do you want out of this ? If I remember correctly, you're doing strength training, correct?" He asked, and Rose nodded, her index touching as she blushed.

"W-Well I... You know I'm not very tall..." She began, earning herself a sarcastic raised eyebrow. " And Juleka's taller than me, and she's going to grow even taller... At the library, she's been getting the high books for me, and when we go shopping, she's the one who gets the high shelves, and sometimes, she's pretty complexed about being taller than the rest of the girls so ... So, I , uhhhh...." The young man signalled for her to continue, and her face flushed. "I... I figured that since I can't help how small I am, I could still become strong enough to be able to carry her with my own two arms." She squeaked. As far as intentions went, Felix didn't see what was the issue here.

"I don't see anything wrong with that." He answered, while Rose bit her lip.

"Well, I... Look..." She raised her arm and flexed, and the other could see her muscles contract.

"Yes...?" He asked more than answered, and she made a frustrated noise.

"I have muscles!" She whined "And I'm going to need more muscles if I want to princess carry her!" Felix was officially lost now.

"That much is obvious, but I still do not understand the issue here." He felt slightly insulted when Rose looked at him as if he was an idiot. 

" _ Muscles aren't girly. _ " She said. " Myl clothes are starting not to fit me anymore and even my parents commented on it because I already have short hair and Mom told me I'm a girl, not a boy..." She whispered, looking about to cry. "But I'm a  _ girl _ ! I just want to become more reliable for Juleka! I'm not tall like her or smart like Marinette, or perceptive like Luka, or even as decisive as you. I know there's a problem with Lila but I still want to believe in her, and I know it makes me naïve, but I want to keep believing in people and I know it's probably going to cause problems, so I just wanted to be able to do  _ one  _ thing right!" She began sniffling and Felix sighed, ignoring his mild inner freak out about crying teenage girls, and went for his usual bluntness instead.

" _ Yes _ , Rose, you are a girl,  _ yes _ , wanting to become strong is an unsurprisingly common desire.  _ No _ , muscles are not a male-exclusive commodity, else humans as a whole would already have gone extinct,  _ no _ , this does not mean you have to dress like a boy either, Marinette would be more than happy to help if you can't find anything and there are entire lines dedicated for active women,  _ no _ , you are not Juleka, Marinette, Luka or myself, but obviously you have  _ something  _ going on for you, else Juleka wouldn't have fallen for you." He listed and refuted her points, deliberately ignoring the witch.

Rose's mouth closed and she looked at him, sniffling.

"You make it look so simple..." She whined, and he scoffed.

" _ You are _ the one making it complicated." He countered. "Your body is your own, I fail to see how your intentions would jeopardize your health on any levels, therefore I do not see why you should be concerned. If you do not believe me, you can ask Marinette, out of us two, she is the one with the most experience in feminine clothing, so do take her opinion over mine." He looked away from the girl, who began crying again.

"I... I'm stupid aren't I... Making a big fuss about nothiiiiing..." Felix awkwardly patted her shoulder, finally noticing there were a few people listening in, among them a few women who looked particularly amused at the conversation. He looked away and tried to repress the embarrassed flush on his face.

"You are entitled to your own feelings... Rose. If this made you feel like crying, then it warranted your tears." He threw her a bone and she giggled through her tears and he could hear the cooing now.

Maybe he should have stuck to training in his bedroom. That might have meant more chances of Adrien breaking in and demanding his attention, and with him, more Rossi time, but he wouldn't have to deal with any of this an- _ Was that a phone flashing right now?! _ The phone lowered immediately, the person holding it disappeared behind other people's bodies before he could do anything and he had a terrible feeling about it. Now, he wondered sarcastically in his mind what could  _ possibly  _ come out of him patting a crying girl on the shoulder and let out an audible groan, digging in his back and typing a number.

" _ Mrfle? _ " The other side said sleepily, and the blond grimaced.

"Couffaine, tell your sister to check out the social media later on and to be ready to reassure her girlfriend."

"Huh? Why?" Luka yawned and Felix heard the sound of fabric, which must mean Luka was sitting up.

Rose was also looking at him with her bloodshot eyes, worried.

"Because the infamously known to hate human contact teenager that I am went to a gym with and patted her girlfriend on the shoulder and someone took photos." Felix took a moment to hiss a few curses at paparazzi that made the other teen laugh on the other side of the phone. "It is going to be enough of a chore to kill it all in the egg if it comes out, I would rather avoid any unnecessary tensions or misunderstandings here. I do not think your sister would misunderstand, but Miss Lavillant might panic."

" _ Sounds rough _ ." Luka yawned again. " _ Sure, I'll tell her. Say 'hi' to Rose for me and tell her I'm in for her little project _ ." 

"I will." He let the other one end the call and turned to Rose. "I suppose you have heard everything. Couffaine told me to extend his greetings to you and that he will participate in your project. With that however, I'm afraid I must prepare to go back to the manor, as I expect to have even more work piled up on my plate soon." He huffed, and Rose shrunk.

"I'm sorry..." She apologized, and Felix rolled his eyes.

"Do not worry. Seeing as I have been operating on three hours of sleep per night this week and am not feeling particularly merciful, the one who will feel sorry is the idiot who uploads this photo." He promised darkly as he got up, grabbed his bottle and walked away.

  
  


* * *

As he came back home, once again, he encountered his mother. At that point he was wondering if she somehow had acquired a sense for knowing when he was coming home, because she was there every single time.

"Hello dearie, your father would like to talk to you..." She said, looking sheepish, and Felix didn't bother trying to hide his groan.

" _ Just for that _ , I'm pushing Rossi into the pool." He spat, and the woman laughed.

"Please have some mercy for the cleaning staff." She was walking next to him.

"Does that mean that the pier is still an option?" He asked rhetorically and his mother smiled innocently.

"It depends on whether or not you want to rethink your plan of having her wear cement shoes." She said as she opened the door, while the teen clicked his tongue. The man was standing, arms crossed behind his back, and looking through the window in his 'You are in trouble young man' pose. Felix repressed the urge to roll his eyes at the theatrics as the man spoke.

"You may leave, Emilie." He said, and the woman shook her head with a rueful smile.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to stay darling, Felix is in a foul enough mood to act up if he misinterprets your words."

"Very well." He said and turned around, staring at Felix. "Do you have anything you want to say?" He asked, and Felix toop a deep breath and looked at the man in the eyes.

"Rose is dating Juleka." He said bluntly, which put both adults off guard. Then, his mother started giggling as that man clearly was trying to find something to say. Tired from this drama, Felix continued. "She was worried her putting on muscle would mean she couldn't wear feminine clothes anymore and that it would make her a boy. Seeing as leaving her to cry alone in public would cause a bigger scene, I took it upon myself to try and calm her down."

"I see." That man finally said.

"But in the topic of me wanting to say something, I personally think you should get rid of-" Felix continued remorselessly and the man raised his hand.

" _ That was all. _ You may leave." He said, and Felix felt a surge of triumph and annoyance. 

Clearly, his insistence was annoying that man and forced him to end the conversation, which was all he wanted to do because then, he'd have some time to check on Marinette while he was working at the desk. If it wasn't for the plan or even the fact he was getting paid for all of this, he'd have taken Luka on his offer to bunk together and  _ finally  _ get some decent nights of sleep. It was bad enough he was too tired to do anything complex, but then  _ this  _ had to happen. He hoped Rossi wasn't behind it, but considering his luck, she probably was.

  
  


* * *

Juleka was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, looking at her phone and supremely unimpressed. On the screen was a photo of Felix and Rose taken sideways. The unobservant might think it was a kiss, but Rose's chin was much too low, indicating she was looking down, and Felix' arm and forearm were nearly horizontal, meaning that they physically couldn't be. The blond had made sure to drill these kinds of subtleties into her brain before the photoshoot. Before, she hoped he would shut up, but now she could appreciate the knowledge. Leaning against her was Rose, who was pouting, her cheeks puffing in annoyance.

"What does Marinette say about it all?" The blonde asked, and the goth answered.

"That if it goes that bad that she'd have to get out of bed before lunch, we'll need to bail her out of jail because she'll probably end up committing murder." The girl pushed a bang behind her ear. "Oh, look, the class found out about the photo..." She pointed at the phone, and Rose peered at the screen.

_ CesaireReports _

_ What am I looking at right now? That's Felix and Rose, right? _

_ DjNino _

_ Wait, that's  _ Rose _? No way, dude. She's, you know, dating a  _ girl _. Photo has to be fake. _

"Thanks guys, as if we needed that on top of everything else..." Juleka muttered as Rose looked at more messages, most of them demanding to know who Rose and Marinette were.

"It doesn't look good..." Rose worried her lip while Juleka sighed.

"Yeah. No idea what we can do, though." She put her arm around Rose's shoulders comfortingly.

Someone knocked at her door before entering. It was Luka, a very grumpy-looking Marinette behind him. Considering she didn't have her pigtails on, that meant she indeed had to get out of bed for that.

"... _Curse those tabloid writers, can't get a good night of sleep._.." The girl was grumbling, glaring at anything that dared to exist in her immediate vicinity. Wow, Juleka thought, Marinette really liked her sleep, didn't she? Made sense considering DP and all... The designer finally noticed where she was and looked confused.

"Uh... What am I doing here?" She asked, taking in the unhappy Rose. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah, Felix patted Rose on the shoulder at the gym and now everyone thinks they're a thing." Marinette stared.

"Mhm. It was posted by someone called 'Volpina' and-uhm, Marinette? A-are you okay?" Rose looked timidly at the designer, whose smile would have been called beatific if it didn't twitch at the side and the top half of her face wasn't obscured by her bangs.

"Oh, _ really now _ ~" She chirped in a slightly too high voice. "I'm juuuust fine Rose. Contemplating. Yes, I'm in a  _ contemplative  _ mood." she elaborated, trying not to let the thoughts running wild in her brain show on her face. " I just need to have a little call with Felix. Nothing to worry about. In the meantime, I have the  _ perfect  _ idea to deal with this situation" She almost sang as she approached Juleka and Rose, who began holding onto each other as Marinette's shadow slowly covered them.

  
  


* * *

There was a picture on screen. A taller girl, with long dyed hair, Juleka, and a smaller blonde girl, Rose. They were currently kissing, Juleka holding one hand with a raised middle finger to the camera. Under the picture was a comment from the poster, Juleka Couffaine herself, with the simple words ' _ Stop being a sore loser because Rose said no, Volpina. #LGBTQ+ Rights. _ '

Underneath that particular post was a storm of people appearing and suddenly giving the couple their support.

Lila Rossi's eyes narrowed and Alya winced as Nino arrived.

"Looks like it's going to take some time before LB reacts." Alya said, and Nino looked at them both.

"Hi Babe." He huffed, before getting to the point. "Why's that thing a good idea again?" He asked, trying to understand the plan, but still not getting it. "That was uncool, Agreste's a jerk, but Rose's done nothing wrong!"

"We were trying to get Ladybug's attention..." Lila said timidly. " Volpina was my Akuma, and we figured making enough noise about a lie would make her connect the dots..." She showed the first post, with the picture. Underneath it was a short message.

_ Look at what this little fox found at the gym~ _

_ Just posting this before I forget. _

_ Oh, also, LB, if you read this, we need to talk about CN. _

"And Why are we trying to contact LB? She's going to want nothing with us." Nino pointed out, and Alya shook her head.

"Maybe, but she's not cruel enough to ignore Chat Noir's situation." Alya muttered, typing on her own phone.

"Hey guys!" Adrien piped up from behind them, holding a wicker basket in his arms, making the three of them jump and look at him with varying degrees of panic. The blond just looked at them curiously, tilting his head in a terribly familiar fashion, then beamed at them. "What was that about a black cat?" Yesterday's scene came back vividly to mind and they couldn't help a slight shudder. "Oh, so that's the CN from that post..." He trailed off, his expression turning from happy to pure disapproval when he looked at LIla. "This isn't what a nice person does LIla, even as a prank, this is going too far."

"Indeed." A voice came from the other side, and Lila's phone was snatched from her hand as Felix inspected it, nodded, pocketed it and then... Hauled Lila on his shoulder and began walking away. The rest of the group was stunned for a moment, then they followed the sounds of Lila's protests as she was trying to escape whatever the older blond had in reserve for her.

"Fe-Felix! I know You're angry, but Mother said no to putting her feet in cement and throwing her in the sea!" Adrien shouted as he jogged in his direction and Lila shrieked, now flailing around to try to escape. Nino and Alya looked at each other, once again wondered what was going on in the Agreste family, then ran to try and save their friend before her murder.

As they heard an ear-piercing scream and a loud splash and sprinted to the direction of the swimming pool To find Felix standing arms crossed looking down as Lila saw emerging from the bottom of the swimming pool, still fully clothed and her make up beginning to leak from her bag. Then, the older teen made a gesture towards Adrien, who looked a bit confused.

"Uhm..." He handed over the basket which was promptly upended in the Italian girl's general direction, her face getting hit by..." Why did you need so many rubber duckies?" He asked, completely lost.

"You will see..." Felix said with an eerie calm as he took a photo of the enraged-looking Rossi and typed something.

"I did NOT consent to this photo!" She shouted and Felix raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

"Neither did I. Funny how it all works, Rossi." He commented and turned around to walk away as Nino and Alya helped her out of the pool.

"What about her phone?" Adrien finally asked, and Felix, who he only now noticed wore gloves, put it in a transparent zipper bag.

" _ Evidence _ ." He hissed, before pocketing it back and leaving.

Adrien looked at his retreating back, then at the enraged group. He should probably feel concerned, but he really couldn't say for whom.

  
  


* * *

Luka was sipping some soda as he was keeping an eye on how the thread was going, before his eyes widened and the soda went down the wrong pipe. After a quick scare, he began laughing, pointing at the phone, which the girls approached. Marinette looked curious.

"Felix has found out." He said, and Marinette smiled radiantly at him.

  
  


_ FelixAgreste _

_ Do not think that changing accounts will hide you from me, Lila Rossi. _

  
  


Geeze, he really wasn't helping that budding Dark Overlord reputation some of his classmates were spreading, some of which he could already spy hailing the 'Dark One', and others beginning to talk about how this was LIla's revenge plot for the exorcism. Then, with a ding, another post came from Felix Agreste. A picture and some text.

In the picture, he could see a very angry girl, Lila Rossi, Rose's classmate. The soloist. And yet, the more he thought about it, the more there was something... _DIscordant_ in her song. Eerie. Like echoes of a footstep in an empty alley... He felt Marinette poke at him and was surprised to see anger, quickly hidden away by cheer, and he went back to looking at the picture. An enraged Lila Rossi was in water, surrounded by rubber ducks.

As for the message... Luka snorted...

  
  


_ FelixAgreste _

_ Food for thought. If it weighs like a duck and floats like wood, it is a witch. Therefore, what does it mean if it floats like a duck? _

  
  


Then, he laughed. Oh, Felix, you complete and utter  _ dork _ .

"What's that mean?" Juleka asked, confused, and Luka shook his head.

"It's a reference to a movie Felix made me watch and that I liked. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This is about a witch's trial, but I don't think my words can give it justice." He looked at Marinette, who had hidden her mouth behind her mouth and was giggling, while the messages he could see...

  
  


_ REaverino _

_ What's THAT about. _

_ KidMime _

_ It meant it's a witch! Forgive me for my sin, Great One! I should not have doubted the dark powers of your Evilness. All hail the Dark One and #BURN THE WITCH! _

_ Suplextar _

_ Oh, I know that reference! #BURN THE WITCH! _

  
  


Hundreds of similar messages followed and Luka shook his head once more. Claude was going to be insufferable in class tomorrow...

  
  


* * *

"And with  _ that _ , Rossi is going to mope in a corner and not move around for a few days." Felix said in his room, Tikki looking over his shoulder at the phone, then at Felix, then back at the phone. 

"What did that mean?" She asked curiously, and the teen explained.

"In a certain parody movie, there was a witch trial. The argument was that if a particular woman weighed like a duck, she was a witch, and that since wood floated, like the witch did, then surely the witch must be made of wood. Therefore, witches are flammable, and the fake tribunal decided, with the peasants, that the witch ought to be burnt." He looked back at his phone. "Ah,  _ right in time _ ." He purred with the satisfaction of the cat who ate a canary.

Tikki's eyes read the increasing number of 'BURN THE WITCH' aimed at Lila and her eyes widened, gaining a starry quality.

"Oh, Felix, you  _ shouldn't have _ ~." She patted his cheek proudly. He figured she, of all people, would enjoy the irony of burning traitors to the stake, even as a joke. Maybe _especially_ as a joke...

"With that out of the way, however..." The teen trailed off and Tikki, still in a good mood, spoke up again.

"Hawkmoth plans to use Lila as bait for Chat Noir once Nathalie comes back. He didn't know about any of this though..."

Felix hummed.

"So he wants to give her the Turtle after she takes it from Nino. Interesting. I suppose Chat Noir is due for another rescue mission soon, then. After this I don't see Lila not going crying to daddy Hawkmoth." He huffed derisively. "That means he also wants to start making sentimonsters using Duusu to cover for his agent." He mused, and the kwami just looked as the boy continued thinking out loud. "If that is the case, he will probably give Nathalie the black cat Miraculous and deploy her, so he'll take the peacock Miraculous for himself. Lila will probably tell him everything she knows if he learns she lost that one too, so the crux of it all was making sure he learns of the loss of the turtle Miraculous before Nathalie comes back. Then he'll force full answers out of her and Chat Noir's testimony should inform him that he lost the Butterfly..."

The boy sat, adjoining both hands’ fingertips and leaning his chin on his thumbs, his elbows on his laps. "So what Hawkmoth would be aware of when Nathalie returns is that Chat Noir has the Snake and Turtle, the fox is destroyed, the Butterfly is independent, and all former miraculous wielders, including Ladybug, remember in some way. With the matter of the guardian still up in the air, the situation will look terrible for him no matter what, seeing as since the neutral Butterfly actively uses champions to help Paris as a whole, using Miraculous Ladybug means he'll make an enemy of Both Paris and Dame Papillon in a single swoop. You had 72 hours limit on it, right?" He asked Tikki, who nodded, smiling. " So I can assume the ladybug absolutely won't be deployed until this comes to be, and considering his wish was for mother- Oh _hell no_..." His eyes immediately narrowed and a look of deep disgust covered his face and looked t the Kwami hoping his conclusion wasn't the right one. Because _surely_ his luck couldn't be _that_ bad. Tikki looked at him triumphantly.

"Oh yes, Felix." She cooed. "It may end up taking years, but eventually, you will be in a position to be granted a miraculous again, so do your best, okay~?"

Felix leaned back against his seat, one of his hands slowly creeping up his face and lied there as he groaned.

“ _ Of course _ , the first Miraculous I officially get has to be the  _ actually  _ cursed one.”

"Now now, this is what you signed up for when you took up Plagg." She cheered, landing on his shoulder and humming comfortingly as the teen groaned once more.

"I want a refund." He deadpanned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BRAAAAAND NEEEEEEW DAAAAAAAY
> 
> Somewhere, Plagg is wiping a proud tear because clearly, that amount of bad luck has to be magical in nature. True Black Cat genes at work, ladies and gentlemen.
> 
> Steadily....Getting.....There....
> 
> Felix is an awkward noodle, what else is new, but one major benefit of the crash course he's getting on how to control Gabriel's daily damage is that he's getting *really good* at damage control in general!
> 
> Marinette will have to start planning another outfit, because our overworked grumpy!catboy just managed to ruin Lila's reputation with Rose and shake it in the class. It JUST SO HAPPENS there's a date planned for the next week...
> 
> The pieces are being steadily put in place ... so you get a bit of plotting as en extra!


	15. Date-astrophe (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Marinette go on a date, Alya may actually have more of a point than she thinks, and sheer hormonal fury trumps millennia old magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a treat for your filthy shipper hearts... lel :V

"Do you Have a butterfly?" Sabine asked as she inspected her daughter's attire while said daughter fluttered about for the finishing touches.

"Yes mom, it's in my bag's hidden compartment." Marinette answered easily, readjusting her headband.

"Pepper spray?" The woman listed off numbering the list with her fingers. "Phone and Burner phone?"

"Check, check and check.~" Marinette sang as she was putting on her grey cardigan and keeping it open. It fell over her hands until only the tip of her middle and ring fingers showed and sent down to the hems of her dress. It also was super comfy and she could just spend days rolling around in it and not moving.

"Protection?" Sabine asked with a more humored smile now.

"That's what the pepper spray is for~" Marinette was currently triple checking the contents of her handbag, patting the tops of the butterfly's Nooroo's and Mullo's heads before covering it with an optical illusion fake bottom.

"Not _ that kind  _ of protection~" Sabine hummed, then laughed as Marinette got up, looked at her, eyes widening in comprehension and face burning red.

"Mooooom Stoooop." She whined, hiding her face behind her sleeves.

"Don't be like that, dear, I was your age once, boys didn't look interesting until they were, and Felix is a  _ fine  _ young man, even asked your father for his permission to date you and all." Sabine hid her growing grin behind her hand. Marinette's reactions were always so precious, she cooed in her mind. 

"Too much information mom! I need to go or I'll be late  _ okaybyenow _ !" The girl grabbed her things and ran out of her room. 

The sky was grey outside and it had rained earlier this morning, but the weather report said this afternoon should be alright. The girl didn't particularly mind the absence of sun, seeing as both Felix' and her skins were pale and sensitive to sunlight, and while the rain meant colder temperature and humidity, this particular time it wasn't an issue as she just chose warmer clothes and curled her hair in prevision. She gave a brief glance to the bakery's glass pane to check her reflection a tenth time, then nodded to herself and walked along. Her hair's curls held and gave her head more volume, helping her pink ribbon headband stand out. In a fit of whimsy, she had tied it up in a butterfly knot where the ribbon was beginning to disappear under her hair and both ends of said Ribbon reached the middle of her neck, ending with two imitation white pearls. She wore a sleeveless white dress shirt, tied with a pink ribbon tie with her apple blossom brand embroidered at the ends. Her shirt was tucked under her high waist pink skirt that was made poofier by the white petticoat and shorts she wore underneath and reached her mid thighs, just barely peeking from under cardigan. To finish the look, she wore a grey pantyhose with pink diamond patterns and black mary-janes. Her purse has been modified to be fastened to her waist by sewing it to her skirt using fishing wire. All in all, this was a Multimouse attire, albeit with a classical spin to it. She had been tempted to put her hair up in twin buns, but with the humidity of the air and the fact it would be overkill, so she settled for a light pink makeup, which her mother had to help her with because she kept worrying about her own work, and nail paint. On her left wrist, under the cardigan, she wore an assortment of white imitation pearl bracelets and pink ribbons and on the right, a thin wrist watch that looked like a golden bracelet from the outside while the watch proper was lying on the inside of her wrist.

The streets were calmer than usual today, people likely unwilling to get out in the surprisingly cold weather and humidity, and Marinette was okay with that, it just meant her boyfriend would be less embarrassed to be together in public!

As she arrived at their meeting spot in the park, her happy smile turned strained. On one side was Felix, who ditched his usual attire entirely, clearly going out incognito, and on the other were Nino, Alya, Adrien and Lila. Marinette double checked her memory to make sure she told Alya not to butt in, confirmed it happened, and strode towards her boyfriend, putting on her 'most diabetes inducing persona' using Juleka's nomenclature.

"Feliiiiix!" She ran in his direction, beaming and waving, causing him to turn around and when she got close enough, she jumped, linking her arms around his neck, and burying her face in his chest. Knitted pull. Nice~. There she mumbled.

"Sitrep?" The teen's arms closed around her waist as he scoffed and gave her a spin.

"I think Hawkmoth is up to something." He murmured as he was leaning towards her and brushing a lock behind her ear. " Stick close to me, we may need to intervene."

_ Oh. Is. He.  _ **_Now_ ** _ ~ _ ? 

Marinette let go of his neck and landed on the floor with a slight clacking of her soles on the waterlogged ground, then turned towards the other group, looking at Alya.

"Hi Alya~. Do you remember what we talked about last week~?" She asked, smiling with that Serial Killer Housewife smile -once again, using Juleka's words- she developed. It seemed to have an effect, because the reporter winced.

"Oh, hey girl, and yeah. We were asking Felix a few things, didn't know your date was that early..." She checked her phone. "It's like, 11 AM, did you two have a reservation at a restaurant or something?" She asked dubiously, and Felix nodded.

"Indeed we do, and unless we go now, we will be late." The blond answered stiffly, before offering his arm to Marinette. "Shall we?" He asked, and Marinette giggled as she took his arm.

"Mhm~ I'm curious about your part of the date!" She said enthusiastically as they walked away, and her eyebrow twitched when she heard running after them. Felix just groaned. and got his phone.

"This is Felix. Yes. Yes. Thank you." He ended the call, and looked at Marinette. "I'm calling in our taxi. Hopefully that will give us a few minutes alone." He told the girl as the others joined back with them.

"Guys, we should really leave them alone..." Adrien looked at an increasingly irate Felix in apprehension.

"Bah." Alya waved his concerns off, turning to Marinette. "What did you mean by part of the date? Didn't  _ he  _ even bother to plan the thing himself?" She glared at the blond, who looked positively bored.

"Ah, no, we agreed that since, you know, it's our _ first date _ ." Marinette positively hissed, and Alya stepped back, raising her hands in surrender, before the designer's expression turned back to her usual happy one "We would both plan for things that we think the other would appreciate! He decided to take lunch, I take dinner, and so on~"

"That's, uhhh, great?" The other asked, now a lot more hesitant and a bit freaked out by Marinette's quick changes of expressions.

" _ Isn't it _ ~ It was hard enough for Felix to clear up his schedule, and I would absolutely _ hate~ it~, _ if something were to happen to jeopardize that~" She chirped in a voice higher than her usual, earning herself a few worried looks.

"Babe, let's just go." Nino tugged at her arm and Alya startled, before nodding slightly, eyes wide.

"Y-yeah... Let's..." she looked at the couple as Felix opened the Taki door for Marinette to get in, closed it, entered on the other side and the vehicle left.

  
  


* * *

"So, uh... Babe, wanna explain what's going on there, 'cause I'm getting seriously freaky vibes from Mari right now..." Nino asked, and Alya frowned. 

They were currently sitting in a corner of a café, Lila on the opposite side of the table, and Adrien sent away to order so that they could talk. The reporter gathered her facts, and began speaking.

"Okay, so first, it's just a theory." She looked at Lila and Nino who nodded. "You guys probably noticed there's something wrong going on with Marinette and Chloe, and they were two of the people Ladybug called upon the most, near the end. And Chat Noir had always been there." They both nodded. "So like, we all know Chat Noir...And the previous Adrien, could have his childish and petulant moments, not to mention his worship of anything Ladybug, right?" Nino nodded and Lila's eyes narrowed.

"And strangely enough, the current Chat Noir is acting like a psychotic child..." Alya nodded.

"Yeah. Take Chloe. She's always been aggressive and lacked self-preservation and all, but it really got cranked up to eleven now and she's getting physical."

"Packs a punch, too..." Nino said. "Remember the terrorist? He lost a few teeth out of that." Lila rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"So, considering the pattern that I see, it looks like for the other wielders the worst sides of their personalities are strengthening overtime." Alya said carefully.

"Yeah, but Mari's always been a sweet girl, if you put aside...her..." Nino started, then his eyes widened. "Jealousy?" He finished weakly and his girlfriend winced.

"I love my girl, really, but even then she was willing to go to scary lengths for Adrien. If I'm right about what's going on, then Marinette's getting from 'slightly creepy stalkerish tendency' possessive to..." She trailed off, and Lila's lips thinned.

"Murderously overprotective and possessive?" She finished and Alya sighed.

"I know it's hard for you Lila, but we need you to stay away from Agreste. If Marinette gets it into her head that you're interested and going after him, I don't know what she's going to do to you but it won't be pretty." She rubbed her arms." Honestly, you should have seen when I walked on her kissing with Agreste, I've felt safer in a den of terrorists when she told me she didn't want to be disturbed during her date." Alya shuddered, and Lila looked pensive, before nodding.

"Sounds rough babe, but maybe she was just annoyed at, _ you know _ , you walking in on her when she finally defrosted the ice cube? Also, if she's warned you off, then she's probably annoyed at you for interrupting again." Nino proposed. Alya sighed.

"I wish it were that simple, but I felt  _ real  _ hostility there. And then there's her dream diary..." She trailed off and Lila spoke up once more, this time looking oddly worried.

"But if you're right, and Chat has it the worst because he was there the longest, then, doesn't that mean Ladybug had it about as bad? She's always been authoritative and a bit unforgiving, so if you're right..." She bit her lip and Alya's eyes widened.

"She'd go full on dictator, purge all the heretics mode." Alya felt a shiver.

"And have a massive revenge bone to pick against us." The boy winced.

"And with my post, we basically advertised my identity to her." Lila turned chalk white, before she looked into her bag and got her phone.

"Dudette, what's going on?" Nino asked, concerned.

"I'm calling Hawkmoth. It was one thing to deal with Chat Noir, but Ladybug isn't someone we can handle if she's expecting us." Lila said frantically, typing on her phone. "For all we know, she could be already here." She hissed at the other two as the phone finally picked up.

  
  


* * *

Marinette was being led to the table by a kindly elderly woman, Felix right behind her. She had felt a bit surprised when her boyfriend(Squeee goes Multimouse) led her to that small restaurant tucked between two taller buildings. It had wooden floors and ceilings, and the walls were painted with pictures of snowy mountains. A few chandeliers were hanging around, and the tables were tucked into small cubicles separated by half-walls. There, the floor was covered in carpet and the seats were looking more like sofas you would find in a living room than a regular sitting restaurant. Then she sat on them, Marinette found her new love in life and refused to move anymore. Well, this was a bit exaggerated, but these sofa-seats were  _ heated _ . She also noticed that the half-walls were around as tall as Felix and that they folded on the sides, meaning that people couldn't really see who was there. It felt tight and cozy, she noticed, before she remembered something that had her giggling as Felix sat next to her and they were given their menus.

"Something funny?" The other teen asked, and she shook her head.

"Cats and shoeboxes" She just commented, reading the carte.

"That was the point, yes." He hummed as he read. " This place is fairly hidden and the cubicles are good to have an intimate atmosphere." He stated and Marinette's cheeks pinked, before she pulled at them a little to calm down, choosing instead to peer at her date.

His hair was ungelled and put up in his half-ponytail, and he was wearing his small silver earrings and glasses again. On the table was his dark grey Fedora with a pink band that she only realized matched her hairband. Looking at it again and closely, she noticed his grey jacket that went to his mid-forearms had very thin, string-side pink vertical stripes, too. His usual black slacks were always there. Looking up again, she saw that under his vest, he wore a thinly knitted sleeveless grey pull that had a v-neck over a white dress shirt whose top buttons were undone. He was wearing a wristwatch too, and had a curb chain bracelet accompanying it, as well as a plain golden ring on his middle finger. They were wearing  _ matching  _ multimouse outfits, she realized and had to keep herself from squeeing, though Mullo did it for her in her purse. Felix looked from his menu to her and leaned towards her, whispering in her ear.

"You know, if you get closer to me, we can get them enough space on the couch between the wall and you to let the Kwamis out." Marinette had to bite her lips to keep herself from overreacting and think of unattractive thoughts. Like physics. Yes, think of Mendeleiev, think of Mendeleiev..

"O-Oh?" She said and cursed her stutter all the way to Sunday "Is that perhaps an invitation for me to stick against you?" She answered teasingly, and Felix leaned forwards, putting his elbow on the table and his chin on his propped up hand, lifting the carte and looking at it lazily. 

"I don't know..." He hummed, then kept silent for a minute as Marinette's nerves were increasing. Then, he turned his face towards her, his head falling slightly from where his hand was and looked at her with a faint smile and half closed eyes.

"Would you like it if it were?" He asked her in a low tone that had all her butterflies rebel in her stomach and ohg god she thought the nervousness would disappear but here he was looking unfairly hot and the way the light fell on his hair and neck and- Marinette finally realized what was missing here. Felix had somehow ditched his turtleneck undershirt and from this angle, she could fully see everything from his Adam's apple to just a bit under the collarbone. Her face instantly turned cherry red and she barely had the time to slap both hands over her face before she leaned over the table, forehead touching the cool surface, and squeeing, hoping her hands would muffle the sound. Meanwhile, that just Felix was chuckling and opening his carte.

"Why aren't you wearing your turtleneeeeck..." She whined. It was too much stimulation for her! Usually she only saw the skin of his face and hands! He looked  _ naked  _ without it!

"Apparently, Luka and my mother have been bonding over classical music on the side, and he informed her of the reason why I requested to free my schedule today. When she saw my choice of attire, she made it abundantly clear that she would burn them all to the last if I went to our first date wearing one." He answered absentmindedly, and between her waves of embarrassment as she sidled closer to the blond -j-just to let her kwamis out and eat too- she sent her grateful thoughts to Luka, who was too good for this sinful world, and Mama Agreste, who clearly had her children through parthenogenesis, no Gabriel involved.

"Have you two made your choices, dears?" The elderly woman came back, and Marinette looked through her fingers to see her smiling knowingly at the two of them.

"I will take the Vol au Vent, the boar stew with blueberries with Dauphine potatoes, chestnuts desserts with hot chocolate sauce and a cup of vanilla ice cream. For the dring, I will have some peach-flavored ice tea." He ordered immediately and Marinette remembered that he was a regular here. She looked quickly at her carte, embarrassed to make them wait and - _ oooh seafood _ ...

"Anything caught your eye, dear?" The woman smiled kindly at Marinette, who nodded.

"Yes, I would like to have some Coquilles Saint-Jacques, ah, uhmmm, Bourride Toulonnaise with grated emmental-is it possible to ask for extra garlic on the croutons?- "The woman nodded as she took note. " with potato puffs, then, hmmmmmm..." She paused? She knew most of the options, what with living in a bakery so..." I'll take Blueberry Streusel, and some cherry and coconut ice cream. and I'd like some orange juice, please."

"Perfect." The woman said, and the teens were left on their own as the kwamis slowly emerged from their hiding spots.

"My my my~ We're being treated to a feast today." Trixx was looking intently at the pictures. "and you got me those  _ delightful  _ little desserts too Felix!"

"Were the cheese croutons for me?" Mullo asked hopefully and Marinette nodded, causing the smaller to squeak happily. "Plagg will try to murder me but I don't care!" The kwami was making a happy dance, while Nooroo, while still looking dignified, was staring intently at the pictures of ice cream. 

After a moment, the teens relaxed, and began making small talk and ate, until dessert and the ice creams arrived. Marinette looked at Felix, who was eating his ice cream with a content look in his face, while Marinette idly poked at hers after giving half to Nooroo, then, after a bit of thinking, she decided that the best way to put him off guard would be to try and pick on him. She couldn't keep being the only one flustered about it, it wasn't fair!

"Just vanilla?" She asked, amused, and Felix looked at her curiously. "Oh, no, it's not bad, it's just, well, a bit  _ plain _ , you know~."

"I will have you know vanilla is a perfectly respectable flavor on its own." The blond narrowed his eyes, taking another mouthful of it. Marinette giggled.

"Which is why people don't consider it to be so..." She said patronizingly and Felix ... Nodded.

"Fighting words,  _ purrincess _ . You don't want to go there." He warned her almost airily as he ate some more of it.Felix, who clearly had enough of this anti-vanilla racism, had been eating more of the ice cream when Marinette began her speech on cherry.

"Look at my cherry ice cream. It's sweet, but tart and fruity enough to give it its individuality." Marinette felt a hand catching her chin and making her head swivel. " _ Vanilla _ , on the other hand-?!" And found herself with a pair of lips sealing hers. It was pretty cold and then, she saw it.

It being the spark of mischief in the blue eyes of the person she was currently lip locked with before he closed them, tilted his head and then -

_ 'Marinette.exe has crashed, please reboot your Ladybug.’ _

  
  


* * *

Marinette was feeling pretty comfortable. It was warm and smelled nice, and there was an odd taste in her mouth. Sweet, warm, and very intoxicating. Idly, she noticed her hands were in something very soft and fluffy. Oh, and considering how dizzy she was, she  _ probably  _ should breathe anytime soon. Then the warmth disappeared and she felt like whining, before remembering that maybe she should open her eyes. she was looking at Felix. And at the ceiling. Every so slowly, her brain began piecing her surroundings together. Looking at it once more, both of Felix' hands were on something behind her head, and her own hands were buried in his hair. Now, considering she was looking at the ceiling, it meant she was on her back. Considering where they were sitting, it would be only common sense to assume that she had been, in fact, on her back on the couch and making out with Felix. The blond looked down at her with heavy lidded eyes and said something.

"H-Huh?" Marinette asked, showing her true mastery of vocabulary in those trying (for her self control) times. "Yeah?"

Felix grinned at her triumphantly, then slowly reached for her hands and disentangled them from his hair, before he leaned away, clearly intent to sit up again. Then, he extended a hand to her which she took, pouting a bit.

"Don't sulk, I can't have you break on me just now when we have the entire day to go through yet." He said in an almost gleeful tone "I've been thinking about what I would do with you if you ever said yes for years,  _ purrincess _ , I'm not letting you off so easily~" Chat Noir grinned roguishly and winked at her as he took her hand once more and led her away from the booth. while her mind was still trying to understand what was happening, until she remembered a little tidbit about Felix.

He was a Method Actor. Meaning that he drew on his personal experiences and feelings to sympathize and better embody the character he plays. Her mind then unhelpfully provided his rather stellar performance as Crazy Chat Noir that she heard fully on video.

Oh, she realized, she probably knew what he was drawing upon on his performance.

_ Oh _ . Her mind reminded her that she agreed to spend the entire afternoon and part of the evening knowing all that.

Felix' fingers laced with hers as they were walking down the street was something she suddenly acutely became aware of.

She had to stay the entire day with an Adrien-Chat Noir-Felix-whoever even  _ cared  _ at this point to whom she had essentially given carte blanche to do whatever he wanted.

Yes, Marinette thought as Felix looked at her and leaned forwards once more, leading her to close her eyes giddily. This was probably how she was going to die.

...

...

...

_ Totally worth it though. _

...

...

...

She felt a sense of disorientation and wind rushing that caused her to open her eyes as she saw the street disappear down, and down, and down. Around her waist, an arm clad in black fabric. 

" _Chat Noir._ ” A booming voice echoed against the buildings as she was going up and up. “I _have had enough of your misbehavior! Come here and give up your miraculous or your favorite Mouse gets dropped from the Eiffel Tower!_ "

Marinette's smile froze.

Looking around, she noticed Alya on a rooftop, her mouth opened and recording everything with her phone. With her was Nino and Lila, Adrien on the side calling somebody on his phone.

Marinette's smile twitched.

She felt her pouch twitch, meaning the fake bottom was displaced, and up up up her arm crawled the white butterfly, until it reached her headband.

For a moment, she felt a prickle, as Hawkmoth's other hand was over her throat and his claws against her neck.  _ Poor, pitiful broken man who knew only to go through the motions and made his son suffer so much. _

_ Ha _ . The butterfly tried to connect to her, but she had wrongly assumed that she would be in position to [ _ protect/safeguard/heal/escape _ ].  _ This? This was the man who destroyed Marinette's entire world?! _

_ Hahaha _ . However it was not so, and between her lack of sleep, emotional highs and low and rising frustration and fury, it was getting overwritten.  _ The more clinical part of her mind had wondered how she would react upon encountering Hawkmoth again _ .

Marinette's smile **broke**.  _ Now she had her answe _ r.

  
  


* * *

"Fuck this, I'm getting Mari out of it." Nino readied his bracelet and Lila tore it from his wrist. " Lila what the hell?! What have you guys been  _ doing  _ behind my back,!" He shouted at the Italian, who glared back.

"We can't step away now, it's far too late! We need to take out Chat Noir before Ladybug-" Alya's gasp as she pointed at Marinette made them look at her. From where they were, they were close enough to pick up on what was happening with Alya's phone zooming in and their eyes widened upon seeing two very specific things.

From her neck dangled a necklace that was identical to the Rat Miraculous.

And on her headband, laid a butterfly that was  _ pitch  _ **_black_ ** _. _

" _ Akuma _ ..." Alya murmured in horror.

Marinette's beautiful smile had never looked so terrifying when the butterfly hologram surrounded her face

"Hai hai, miss DP. One order of skinned cat, coming  _ riiiiiiight  _ up~" She said, her saccharine voice echoing ominously on the rooftops and she was engulfed in a white cocoon. Black Cat jumped from the tower, trying to put some distance between himself and her, when a pink ribbon broke through the cocoon, grabbed at his ankle and smashed him against the rooftop where they were standing on. When the dust of broken concrete cleared up, Black cat was standing warily... 

"Hello  **_Hawkmoth_ ** , long time no see~ _ ee~~ _ "

And at the very edge of the rooftop, standing as if she were held up by strings, stood an akumatized Multimouse, a crazed smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posting in advance before the hour, had to stop because this would be a monster chapter and I want my daily updates so yeah.
> 
> ...
> 
> You guys have NO IDEA how much I laughed about some of you guys' comments, just because of this.
> 
> Have I just signed myself up for fight scenes? In my plotting story? Nooooooooooooo!* Ori wailing in despair*
> 
> Now, have a (parody) Mini scene:
> 
> *In Marinette's pouch*  
> Mullo: Are we sure Marinette should go out with a Miraculous? There are some times she doesn't sound stable...  
> Nooroo: Doing my best here Mullo, but this wielder is a workaholic with a list of issues longer than my arm so it's hard enough to keep her sane when she keeps saying that 'sleep is for the weak'.  
> Mullo: Rip. Wanna bet on what goes wrong?  
> Nooroo: Mullo, please stop, we don't need any more bad luck.  
> *Hawkmoth does his thing*  
> Nooroo: Oh for Plagg's SAKE. HOW IS FELIX *THAT* UNLUCKY?!  
> Mullo: Oh, hey, an Akuma?  
> Nooroo:!!! Mullo? Mullo no! Mullo don't do this!  
> Mullo: NANANA Can't hear you over the sound of KICKING HAMWKMOTH'S BUTT!!! COME ON PLAGG, WHO'S HUNTING WHO NOW?!


	16. Date-astrophe (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Local Mouse goes MUDA MUDA MUDA, Curbs are stomped, Marinette ends up having all the regrets, and a torch is passed on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of warning for descriptions of violence and blood?

There was a moment of stillness and silence, as the wind blew over the rooftop, and the butterfly mask flashed once more. Marinette(?) blinked, then her expression schooled herself into something more professional, her posture turning into the one Alya recognized from being from Multimouse's superhero days.

"My apologies for the scene." Multimouse said, smiling like the very picture of a classic superhero. "I'm afraid there was a bit of an issue during the assimilation of the butterfly that led to that rather unnerving spectacle. You may call me Multimouse." 

And indeed, if it weren't for the strange pink beaded belt, headband and butterfly-shaped domino mask, she would have been the mirror image or her superhero self. Alya's eyes narrowed, while Adrien just squeed, making a video of the akuma, who sent him a closed eyes smile and waved in his direction. Akumas rarely were that calm and placid and when they were, this usually spelled trouble. Alya barely had the time to blink when they heard a cracking noise and saw Hawkmoth jump back as the Akuma leisurely approached him, moving her ribbon like a conductor would move their wand, leading the ribbon to lash out at the Cat VIllain in an utterly  _ brutal  _ onslaught of attacks.

"Truthfully, it is a bit embarrassing that I was the only one who didn't get akumatized out of our entire class back then, only to be the first one here. Don't you think so,  _ Alya _ ?" She asked conversationally and with a twist of her wrist, her ribbon curled around her enemy's baton and a small twitch had it yank it away, throwing it over the edge of the building. Hawkmoth jumped back even further to avoid her ribbon before charging a cataclysm. Multimouse's belt beeped, and her placid smile widened a bit as one of the pink orbs turned black.

"My my, a cataclysm here? Are you sure that's a good idea?" She asked, tilting her head in a fashion that was reminiscent of Chat Noir. "Somebody could get hurt, you know~" She opened her other hand and and in it, another ribbon appeared. Her posture changed, from relaxed to one similar to a gymnast's, one leg extended in front of her. Hawkmoth said nothing as he raised his hand and bringing it down, intent on cataclysming the ground, only for a pink Ribbon to impact his torso, sending him sailing in the air. Multimouse approached the building's edge, eyes taking in the details of the environment, before jumping off the edge, running down the vertical surface. With a twirl, she sent her ribbons in Hawkmoth's direction, keeping him up in the air as she landed in the middle of the street that was already being evacuated. Her belt beeped again, another bead turning black and she crossed her arms, ribbons trailing after her, before she give them a violent yank, the cracking sound akin to that of lightning as their speed dramatically increased. One hit, two hits, four hits, eight hits, It took sixteen hits in quick succession to catapult him up high enough for him to careen over the buildings.

  
  


* * *

"She's not letting him land on the ground." Alya realized Marinette's tactics as the akumatized girl ran up a building in a blink, pink ribbons sending the man flying even higher. "She's keeping him up in the air to negate all of his abilities because he's a close ranged fighter..."

"This is so _cool_!" Adrien gushed, stars in his eyes and phone recording everything. "And she's only getting stronger each time her beads turn black, so even if he manages to get past the ribbons, his advantage isn't going to matter much longer!"

The reporter turned to the blond, eyes widened in alarm, though he misconstrued it as awe. Adrien was more than happy to explain, though.

"You'd need Max for precise numbers, but if you compare the speed and strength of her current attacks with those from the beginning, it's much stronger and faster than before! We might be actually talking in  _ exponentials  _ here!" He chirped, and Alya looked at Lila with horror. The Italian girl looked at her wrist, then at the fight, and pursed her lips and shook her head. Alya sagged, but understood her decision. After all, Adrien had them all on camera, right now. Changing to help Hawkmoth was a sure fire way to get themselves arrested.

  
  


* * *

With a particularly vicious snap, one of the ribbons fastened around the airborne Hawkmoth's leg. She began twirling her ribbon above her head, faster and faster, causing her enemy to spin at dizzying speed. She made her other Ribbon oscillate, making it hit him repeatedly and in quick succession. Her belt beeped once more and, after checking her expression couldn't be seen, Multimouse's smile turned just a tiny bit darker as she increased the pressure. The man must have noticed it too, because the cataclysm he was holding hit the ribbon holding his leg, sparkling everywhere and causing it to disintegrate. 

He was rewarded with another direct hit to the ribs for his efforts, courtesy of the other ribbon, and Multimouse changed her stance to accommodate being limited to a single Ribbon, twirling her wrist once more as Hawkmoth grabbed her remaining Ribbon. The pink fabric that was prisoner in his grasp fastened around his arm, then looped around him and made him roll towards her like a yo yo would retract, sending him right into her cocked back fist. 

She took a step forwards and hit him as hard and fast as she could, ignoring the deafening crack of she sound barrier being breached, to instead reel him back in, punch him in the chest once more, her fist smashing his ribcage and sending him flying, only for the Ribbon do bring him back to her as she put her fist over her opposite shoulder, then backhanded him violently, his body bouncing over the concrete. The process repeated again and again, Multimouse vaguely aware of the blood on her, but more focused on the matter at hand. She quickly dragged him to her once more and, ducking under his form that flew over her shoulder, she tore the ring off his hand, accidentally crushing his hands’ bones in the process. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a red and black spotted form standing to the unrecognizable form or Gabriel agreste. His chest was stuttering up and down, his face smashed in, fingers and jutting out and bent at places and in directions they shouldn't, and one of his legs was dislocated. 

If she continued like that, and without quick emergency care, Gabriel Agreste would probably die.

Multimouse found it hard to care.

"Hi there. You're new aren't you?" The teenage girl smiled at the ladybug themed woman as she looked both dizzy and confused. "I'm so~rry, but I'm going to need you to hand over that Miraculous you're holding. I'd prefer not to have to hit you if I can help it. " Her belt beeped and another bead turned black. " I have a  _ bit  _ of an issue when it comes to controlling my strength, you see~?" her ribbon began spinning lazily next to her and quickly blurring out of sight, generating a gust of wind.

The woman looked at her carefully.

"Marinette, I know you're angry-"

"Me?  _ angry _ ?" Multimouse said in a mellifluous voice whipped at the woman, who barely had enough time to sidestep before the wall behind her was pulverized by the strength of the blow, the tips of her blond hair falling to the ground. 

"Oh, no no no, we've gone  _ waaaaaaay  _ past angry a  _ long  _ time ago." Her eyes were half lidded as she said in an almost throaty voice, her composure cracking slightly.

"We've gone past angry when Viperion was  _ murdered _ ." Her pink Ribbon lashed towards Gabriel, forcing Emilie to carry him out of danger as she called a lucky charm. Marinette's eyes narrowed as she readied herself for a hard fight. 

"We've gone pas angry when he drowned Paris in blood,  _ over and over and over again _ !" Her ribbon twirled and curled as a red and black contraption landed in the woman's hands. 

"We've gone way past angry the moment he hurt  _ my kitty! _ " She readied a pink ribbon twirling around it, buzzing like a drill, before sending it in the woman's direction, the compressed air forcing the ribbon to move at even greater speeds and blowing out in the fake's direction. The woman barely had enough time to grimace as she instinctively raised the contraption to block the blow, and there was an explosion of light and sound. When Multimouse came back to, she was alone and bloody on the rooftop. She shook her head, frowned, and began walking. No need to wait, after all, she knew where her targets were. Agreste Manor was but a couple minutes away for the current her.

"Man, that looked like it hurt." A voice came from behind her, and she looked down to see Plagg floating into view. "Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." The cat said sarcastically. "Oh, and you're gonna wanna sit before you crash." 

Multimouse took a second look at herself. Her entire body was trembling, and only now was her mind registering the pain. She whimpered and let herself fall to the ground, sitting down and struggling to breathe.

"Yeaaaah, figured it would happen." The cat floated around lazily. "Don't suppose you got any cheese?"

"O...Only emmental." She gasped for breath. "wh-what..." The kwami sighed and shook his head.

"Kids nowadays, no taste at all..." He grumbled, then his form flew and hid under her hands. Multimouse looked curiously as the door leading to her rooftop was forced open and out came... a girl wearing the turtle miraculous, followed by Alya. No Nino, she nodded as the girls blanched upon seeing her essentially sitting in a pool of blood.

"Are you going to try and fight?" She asked curiously, and the turtle girl put in a confident smile.

"Well someone has to stop you, Akuma!" Oh, she realized. It was Lila. She then frowned. Did the glamour fail because Multimouse knew she was the only option? Alya looked at her concerned.

"Girl, calm down, we're here to help...." Marinette lifted her hand with some difficulty, realizing that even more beads had turned black since the ladybug left. Her pink ribbon was hanging limply from it. She twirled it idly, then flicked it in her direction. She heard a panicked "Shellter!" before a deafening boom made her bones rattle.

"It  _ does  _ look a lot less fun when the victim can defend themselves, hmmm?" she hummed when she Saw Lila, gritting her teeth, and Alya, her entire arm scraped and bleeding from likely being blasted by the wind.

"Marinette, stop, this isn't you!" Alya tried again, and the other girl corrected.

" _ Multimouse _ . And once upon a lifetime, I would have thought being a traitor wasn't you either,  _ Miss Ladyblogger _ ." She replied, and Alya's jaw clicked shut. "Did you guys really think you'd get away with all of this?" Another flick, another boom, the countdown for Lila was ticking and they all knew it.

"That's...There's more to it that you know, M..." The reporter said in a quiet voice.

" _ Is there _ ? You know what they say about cats and curiosity~" Both sides looked up, seeing Chat Noir crouching over the door of the rooftop access, looking at them with a toothy grin. "By all means, do tell Mousinette everything." He put his hand next to his mouth and fake whispered. "I think she needs a laugh." Lila stepped back, and with her the shellter. Alya, in the meantime...

"You gave her the Miraculous." She glared at the Cat Wielder, who looked supremely unconcerned.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, but  _ man _ , I can't argue with results when I see them." He giggled, holding at his sides and falling on his sides, feet hitting the air and tail lashing out wildly. "Daddy Hawky sucks so much! Terrorize Paris for years while hiding in the background, but when he comes on the frontlines, he gets his butt kicked by the mouse! bwahahaha!" He suddenly straightened, deadly serious. "I have better things to do than deal with vermin like you." He hissed, standing up. "Like organizing a class reunion, organizing my autographs collection, napping in sunshine,  _ looking at grass grow _ , you know, the works." The teen looked at them with a deranged expression. "On another hand, I can just skin you both alive right now, I've been a bit tense lately." He purred as he began prowling in their direction. Lila grabbed Alya's waist and stepped back, jumping off the building. Chat Noir hummed for a moment, before turning to Multimouse and giving her a thumbs up.

"Guess I'll be the one to leave that review on the Ladyblog." He said in a carefree fashion, arms crossed behind his head. "10/10, better than a lawsuit for getting rid of copycats~" THe girl snorted and hissed in pain as her ribcage rebelled against her. Chat Noir approached, revealing a box of...

"CAMEMBERT!" Plagg bellowed and jumped on it, greedily opening the package and devouring it. "Oh my love, my only reason for existing, how I missed you~" He kissed the last piece, before sighing in content. "Well, let's get that show on the road before the idiot mouse kills your girlfriend." The cat floated and landed on her head as Chat Noir lifted her up and untied her headband, ripping it in two as the cat's mouth closed around the black butterfly, and Multimouse disappeared, leaving an unconscious Marinette behind.

  
  


* * *

When Marinette woke up, she regretted everything and some.

"Well yeah, it was pretty stupid. Effective though. Very effective." The green eyed Cat Kwami was lounging on a pillow next to her head. He stretched and floated up, looking at her. "Look, normally I don't do this, but Tikki's gone off the deep end for a while, so I have to be the responsible kwami here and explain to you what you did. Sure, finding yourself a Champion to boost your power isn't exactly bad in itself. You creating an emergency butterfly for yourself using Nooroo's artificially boosted abilities? Still fine. However, what in the world possessed you to use that on the  _ Kwami of **Multiplication** _ of all things, you silly squishy human? Your body can't handle that much power and was very much breaking down when we got to you. Pollen's venom was the only thing that kept you alive long enough for the newbie to get good enough to save you!" Oh, she idly realized. She was being scolded... It had been so long since someone actually told her to stop... She didn't realize how much she missed it...

"N-New..." She asked weakly, and the cat huffed.

"After talking with the rest, we decided on a new butterfly. No offense Pigtails, but what we need is someone who won't get themselves killed in an attempt to game the system,  _ again _ ." He stared at her and she felt insulted by the comparison to Hawkmoth." We had your loverboy do the picking. You, on the other hand, are going to get a nice, easy and safe kwami once you get back on your feet. Copy that?" It felt more like an order than a question, and she made a vague approving noise. "Good." Plagg huffed, before he landed back on her pillow. "Responsible kwami quota filled for this month, now go back to sleep." He did so himself, purring softly and lulling her to sleep once again.

Her consciousness flickered in and out of existence, but as time passed, the pain lessened, until she woke up one night, to a rather peculiar scene. An older Chat Noir was sitting legs crossed on one of the chairs in front of the computer, talking rather animatedly with another boy. He had black hair with royal blue tips, a blue military vest patterned like butterfly wings with silver chains over a very familiar bodysuit, although the colors were various shades of blue instead of... instead of... Curse that glamour messing with her head, she thought grumpily as she shifted in her bed. Chat Noir's ears twitched and his luminescent eyes turned towards her.

"You're awake..." He said, and Marinette huffed.

"Regretting. So much regretting." She groaned, trying to ignore the soreness and stiffness of her body. Then, she sighed. "Two questions: How long did I sleep and has Paris blown up yet?" Butterfly boy laughed softly, before muttering something and his transformation dropped, revealing Nooroo and... Luka. Marinette blinked, then her eye twitched.

"Marinette!" The butterfly kwami wailed as he attempted to hug the life out of Marinette's cheeks. "I'm so sorry, I should have stopped you, but then Tikki would have killed me and it sounded like a good idea at the moment for extreme emergencies and now you've been out of it for an entire month and-'' Well, this answered that, though, she felt conflicted about...well... 

On one hand, Luka was the best fit for the job, she'd always known that. On the other... She didn't think she could take another Viperion incident. She looked hesitantly at Chat, who moved from the chair and sat next to her.

"I'm sorry for making the call instead of you, and I'm sorry it had to be him, but I'm  _ not  _ sorry for what I did." He told her seriously, clawed fingers combing through her bangs.

"I know. I'd do the same. It's just..." She hesitated, and Luka just smiled at her, propping his head on his crossed arms, over the chair's backrest.

"If you're worried about me dying again, don't be, I intend to stick around for a while yet." He answered her question before she could even formulate it.

"Did kitty tell you?" She asked, and she heard a faint 'Claws in' as Luka nodded.

"I mostly guessed it, I still don't remember, but there's only so many times you two can get me away from that girl who feels like a back alley murderer before a guy has to ask himself why, you know? I asked after getting the little guy over here, at that point Felix was too busy worrying about you to remember to worry about me!" He laughed as the blond frowned.

"...Ignoring that." Felix began as he threw Plagg some camembert on reflex. " This month has been relatively calm... Nathalie has come back and Rossi has moved in... That man, for all intents and purposes, is in a medical coma right now. Nathalie has created a sentimonster to guard the Mansion and prevent theft. It's a strong one and Morpho Bleu "He pointed at Luka with his thumb " Suspects it's one born from Nathalie's own feelings, so it will be hard to deal with. As of right now things are on a stalemate, but Luka had minimal difficulties taking over your operations." 

"Your notes were very thorough." Luka added. "I can't do it as long as you, but otherwise, they accepted me with little fuss... Hearing all the songs of Paris at the same time was... An experience." He said, while Felix snorted.

"You were higher than Plagg on catnip." He rolled his eyes. "Other than that, Adrien livestreamed your confrontation after your fight with that man begun, so you may have gained some amount of notoriety for stopping the man who vaporized the Eiffel Tower." The blond said carefully and Marinette blanked. Hawkmoth did  _ What _ ?! She didn't remember that! "When he destroyed your ribbon, some of it shot above you.

"And by that he means it's been memed to death because the big baddie in a black catsuit got beaten half to death by a middle school girl in pink" The musician corrected, earning himself an annoyed look.

"Must you provide a color commentary?" He finally asked, and Luka nodded, looking entirely unrepentant. "Alya has tried to get to talk to you, but she wasn't allowed to see you, for safety reasons. We've been discussing it, and Plagg told me you were informed of it, but you can't use Mullo anymore. The stable butterfly would have already pushed your connection too far, but when the Akuma took control, it permanently altered your relation with the Rat Miraculous, since Miraculous Ladybug wasn't used in time, each time you use him, you will multiply your strength instead of using Multitude... Your body won't be able to handle it." He said almost clinically, and Marinette sighed.

"I was saving that butterfly for Kagami, you know?" She finally said quietly. "Had a whole plan of giving her the dragon miraculous, then with super-Ryuuko we'd take out the rest of team Hawkmoth the moment you got handed the Ladybug Miraculous." Felix' lips quirked up.

"It would have been interesting to behold." He conceded. "There is also...another difficulty." He said, after hesitating a bit. Marinette looked at him and he continued. "I...Do not have the ability to use Cataclysm. Due to my circumstances, I have another ability..." He admitted, and Luka rubbed his hands gleefully. "My... New power is to actively manipulate a target's bad luck and weaponize it to cause a single event to happen. I can use it three times per fight before I'm out" Well, it didn't sound too bad... Would need a lot of thinking and setup, but his time as a Fox should have taught... Oh. That's probably what caused it in the first place.

"Tell her then name." Luka crowed, and Felix flushed. 

"There's nothing wrong with the name it has." He grumbled, sighing. "This ability is called Catastrophe." 

Marinette looked at him blankly, before she opened her mouth.

"A-Are all your abilities  _ cat puns _ ?" She asked with a small voice while Felix' hand slowly crept up to his face and Luka laughed. The blond shook his head ruefully before continuing.

"As of right now, things are at a stalemate, we can't make a move because of Nathalie's sentimonster, and they can't move against use because they don't know who we are, and attacking you because of your connection to Chat Noir has proven to be most...  _ unwise _ . Do you intend to maintain your decision not to use the Zodiac Kwamis?"

Marinette nodded.

"Too many in circulation already. I don't want things to escalate any further."

"Yeah, Paris' reaction when the Tower was destroyed was pretty bad already..." Luka commented and shuddered. "There were actual riots when they found out something took DP out and I had to replace her. Barely made it in time to repair it, but parisians are a tiny bit sensitive when it comes to superheroes who don't get the butterfly stamp of approval nowadays..."

"Then you realize you only really have one choice." He said, and the girl nodded once more. Revealing Trixx was not an option, as she was the only reason their plan even survived an encounter with the enemy and they managed to make it that far.

"Mhm." She hummed. "It should be alright, Pollen is nice to work with."

"I'm glad you think so, Princess!" The Bee suddenly popped up from above, and Marinette decided she must really have been out of it not to notice her earlier.

"'Princess'?" Marinette looked at Felix, thoroughly amused.

"Would you rather have been called Queen or Lady?" He replied with a question of his own.

"Pollen picked it up from him on her own." the Butterfly Miraculous wielder piped up, then after a moment, Marinette spoke once more.

"So... What now?" She asked a bit helplessly, and Luka clapped his hands.

"Daily life, normal things, rest and  _ lots  _ of therapy." He said in an entirely too chipper tone. "Enjoy the stalemate while it lasts, because when it breaks we're probably going to miss the peace."

Yes, this sounded like what she expected. Besides, she needed to work on her Guardian training, she supposed. She then turned to Felix.

"Are you going to be okay? With your father out of it, the Brand is going to..." Felix shrugged, mightily unconcerned.

"Mother and Nathalie are doing well enough, though I am expected to step up as main designer after my studies are over." He hummed for a moment. "Juleka and Rose will tell you more about the going ons in the class, but from what I hear, it currently is a warzone. Don't forget to play oblivious when you get there and enjoy the fires, I suppose." He finished, before taking back his hand and transforming again. "Come on Morpho, we have a few more places to visit tonight." 

"Right behind you." The teen turned back into his superhero persona and gave Marinette a wink and two fingered salute before leaving her alone with Pollen.

"Time for more sleep, I guess..." she grumbled, and Pollen laughed lightly.

"Beauty sleep is important, Princess." The kwami answered and Marinette now understood why Chloe immediately fell in love with the yellow kwami...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was very in advance, but when I tried to sleep I ended up sleeping for just 2 hours, so I'll chalk it up to my visceral hatred of cliffhangers.
> 
> I tried to make it last... But realistically, Marinette's trump card was called that for a reason, and she basically went ROAD ROLLA DA! on everyone else...At the price of almost killing herself. Yay?
> 
> Plagg and Luka join the party and Pollen joins the active roster!... Once Marinette finishes recuperating from essentially shredding every muscle she had... Next chapter will be the class, more stuff, and initializing the time skip!
> 
> Also, in the same conditions, *yes*, an Hawkmoth-made Akumousinette would be Chat Blanc tier in raw power if given enough time.


	17. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets to know the Bee, Catches up with the news, the back row alliance is formed and the Bee gets to know Marinette.

**November 1st:**

Marinette was standing up next to her bed triumphantly.

No more sleep! Today was the day!

She took a step forward and promptly tripped over her feet, face planting onto the ground. Next to her, Pollen was floating, looking at her in both concern and fond exasperation.

"Remember what Sabine said, Princess, you still have to go through physical therapy, Morpho's Champions can only do so much in one sitting when it comes to healing Miraculous backlash."

The girl let out a frustrated growl.

"There there..." The kwami landed in front of her, buzzing soothingly." May I suggest you instead focus on working on your portfolio? This would take your mind off of things." The girl huffed as she slowly climbed up on her bed again.

"I've finished my homework and been designing for hours Pollen, I'm _bored_." Marinette did not whine. The kwami giggled.

"Then perhaps you would be interested in trying something new?" The yellow and black kwami floated up under her wielder's curious gaze. "Tom has been kind to buy me something, but if it would alleviate your boredom, I'm happy to turn it into a group activity!" The kwami said happily. Marinette looked at her (temporary) partner and had to stomp ond the errant thought that Pollen was too good for Chloe, reminding herself that since kwamis were supposed to encourage the growth of wielders that needed them, kwamis were _supposed_ to be too good for their wielders.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to waste your present on me..." The human trailed off while her partner flew under the bed and got a thin... chord?

"It's perfectly alright, I've always been of the mind bonding activities are paramount to establish a proper partnership." Pollen was quick to answer, putting the extremity of the chord in Marinette's hand. "I'm afraid I'm going to require your help in the matter, I would normally do it inside the box, but if we are to do this together, then, it's too heavy for me." She said apologetically, and Marinette carefully tugged on it, hearing the sound of a box shifting under her. Eventually, Marinette, with some difficulty, fished out a cardboard box. It had a faint flower scent, and inside, she could hear the tinkling of glass. She looked once again at Pollen for confirmation, who nodded encouragingly and opening it, letting out a rather dizzying array of scents, then peered inside.

"That's... A perfumer's organ, right?" She asked the kwami, who landed on the edge of the cardboard box.

"Indeed! Bees use pheromones to communicate and maintain cohesion in the hive and while human brain chemistry works differently, some principles apply!" Pollen said, looking rather excited instead of her usually submissive and formal self. "You can do a lot when you choose the right fragrance, and I quite enjoy playing around with those, especially since there are fresh flowers aplenty on your balcony." 

"So your hobbies are more oriented towards your form, and your preferred food towards your nature..." Marinette trailed off.

"Yes. My favorite food is Honey for obvious reasons, but I also like anything that is issued from my domain of Subjection. This includes domesticated meat products. Similarly, Plagg enjoys consuming anything that has to do with decayed food, such as cheese, but also wine, and he'll settle for cured meat if there's nothing else. Meanwhile, Tikki enjoys sweets the most, the more complicated to make, the better. I hear she's been demanding cookies and macarons nowadays..." She trailed off. "Oh, but look at me running my mouth on my own, let's dig in instead. Who knows, you may find a fragrance that is pleasing to your nose, too!"

Marinette mostly went along as Pollen positively gushed and explained in details what each small flask contained and bits of trivia about bees and pheromones, though the girl had to admit she was largely out of her depth. And then there was that awkward moment when the queen's pheromones came up that Marinette tried hard not to think about.

Still, seeing Pollen so happy to share something she felt passionate about did help the young Guardian get closer to the industrious kwami.

* * *

**November 7th.**

Marinette was making progress! She could walk around now! She was back to being 'Clumsynette', but at least she wouldn't go back to being stir-crazy in her bed and was promoted to being stir-crazy in her room! But this didn't matter, because she was finally allowed visitors that weren't her superhero companions or her parents. Rose and Juleka had sent her a message earlier saying that they would come visit around dinnertime since htey were busy with Rose's project of making a band, which meant Marinette had no idea of who was currently knocking at her trapdoor. She looked at Pollen, who seemed to be as confused as she was, then hid under her bed.

"Come in..?" The girl called out hesitantly and the trapdoor opened, revealing... Adrien in a Chat Noir themed hoodie, followed by Max. Well, that was several levels of odd. 

"Hi guys..." She greeted them. "Not that I am not happy to see you two but..." She trailed off and Max nodded.

"Indeed, visiting you would come as a surprise to you, seeing as there is an average frequency of zero to my visits to your home." The boy hand waved her apology. 

"I invited him to come with me." Adrien said, adjusting his bag's strap. " He and I worked out the math of Multimouse's abilities and she's so _cool_! She's the strongest Champion ever made by Dame Papillon and if she had only one more bead to her belt, she could have reached the point where she could generate enough friction to _set the Earth's atmosphere on fire! You're awesome_ Marinette!" He gushed, and Marinette gulped a bit.

"N-No offense, but this doesn't sound like a good thing..." she answered nervously and Max nodded, readjusting his glasses.

"Quite. Still, it does make for an interesting case study as the question of where this energy came from rises. I would normally ask if it was possible for you to turn again for study purposes, however..." He looked at Adrien, who looked a second away from pouting.

"There has been an official request from the government to Morpho Bleu not to turn you into Multimouse again unless he got the approval from the Elysée and the U.N.." Marinette blinked.

"I'm sorry, what?" she must have misheard, surely? Adrien scratched his cheek.

"Well, Max and I did our math, but the people on the Ladyblog did too and when the numbers came out, there was a bit of an emergency meeting and you miiiiight have been slapped with the WMD qualification in your superhero form..." He laughed weakly while the girl's mouth dropped.

" _Oh my god_..." She said in a strangled voice. Mullo what have you _done_?! This was terrible! She was trying to fly under the radar and now she was on _everyone's_ radars! She was going to be put under observation and hten she's be caught and then she'd get Felix and Luka caught and they'd all be imprisoned and experimented on for the rest of their lives! "How..." SHe wet per lips nervously. "How did our class take it? Juleka and Rose said things were pretty bad, but they wouldn't give me the details..."

The boys looked at each other and winced, Adrien looking almost repentant.

"That... May be my fault..." He admitted, and Max shook his head.

"Nonsense. I can confirm that Nino's words have 80% chances of being true. Furthermore, my brother agrees to them, which further increases their viability." He asserted, readjusting his glasses, while Marinette considered herself curious and looked at Adrien encouragingly.

"Ah, well, it started the day after Multimouse... Alya had shown up with her arms in bandages since DP didn't create any champions that night and there was already that big uproar about your battle going on in the background..." He winced " Anyways, Alya and LIla arrived and things were pretty normal, until the first break came and they began complaining about, well, you...." He looked away, and Max took over.

"Lila Rossi kept talking about how unhinged and dangerous you were, Alya...Remained silent, while Nino said that it was an accident and that it wasn't your fault, " Did he now? Interesting... " which Adrien agreed with, and Lila didn't take it well. She started crying about how strange he had been behaving lately and that sometimes, it didn't feel like he loved her anymore and how he'd been seduced away by Marinette. Nino said that it couldn't be true because you were too into Felix for it to even be an option, which Juleka and Rose agreed to." _Oh lord almighty_... Marinette looked at an increasingly embarrassed Adrien and began seeing where this was going...

"In any case, Lila insisted something was off with both Marinette and Adrien and this is when, to quote my brother's verbatim, 'things get weird'." Uh oh " She asked Alya to confirm her words, and she did bring up a rather valid amount of points, such as you opening to the class suddenly one day and interacting with everyone, the level of care you seem to have for everyone when you were isolated and aloof during our entire schooling."

"She also did so for Adrien, his sudden interest in superheroes, although I personally think it is valid, considering that up until now, they only ever existed in comic books..." Wait, _what_ ?" taking his brother's side during their arguments, and the fact he was beginning to act a lot more independantly now, too. " Wait, could they come back to- " At that point Nino was beginning to get angry and publicly snapped at Lila and demanding to know why Adrien getting hobbies and a life outside of her were bad things " Well, if she wasn't going to get her answers now... 

"To which Lila began crying, and Alya was trying to comfort her by getting Nino to stand down. " 'Trying'? "And, Nino shocked all of us, because up until now, there was only a frequency of 0.09 when it comes to him not backing out when Alya told him to. He said that the way Lila had been treating Adrien was 'not cool' to begin with, but that it somehow became even worse now and that he had a right to decide what he wanted to for himself now that his..." Max cleared his throat and whispered. " 'now that his shitty pops has done everyone a favor and tried to make out with a truck'. "He spoke again with a normal tone. 

" Lila began crying louder, quoting her worry about Gabriel Agreste and her pain at being mistreated by Felix, when Adrien aptly pointed out that LIla had been the instigator 100% of those time, which made the girl to cry even louder and say that she didn't feel like Adrien loved her anymore. " Oh dear. Marinette had to school her expression not to let her glee show " then, of all people, Chloe spoke up, still typing on her phone, and asked if anyone even bothered to ask Adrien what his definition of romantic love was." The blond slowly exhaled and hid his face in his hands. 

"To which he answered that it was having a feeling that he should stay close to a specific person and that they kept popping up around them, though he formulated it as a question. " Oh no, she shouldn't laugh, she really shouldn't! Marinette put a hand over her mouth. " The group didn't take it well and, well, they began rounding on Adrien, Nino took his defense and said the fault was on all of them for not asking about Adrien's feelings on the matter before pushing him to be with Lila. Alya tried convincing him to step down, but he refused to budge and, well, that's when Adrien...." 

"Please stop..." The other ten whined between his hands, his voice filled with mortification.

"That's when Adrien asked what it was like to love someone romantically, and the class basically rioted, though I saw Rose take him aside to explain it to him. Then, Lila wailed, and she asked him is he ever loved him and then..."

"Nooooooo...." Adrien whined.

"And then, Adrien said. 'I'm sorry, it seems I am not in love with you, and it would be unfair for us to be dating when I'm not interested in you, so let's break up.'"

There was a moment of silence where Marinette's mouth dropped and she looked at the blond who was looking at anything but her, face scarlet.

"You really _are_ Felix' little brother..." She whispered win awe, and the blond... Preened? What in the world has been going on at the Agreste mansion? Max cleared his throat and raised his phone.

"At this point in time, Chloe had started recording the confrontation and she graciously gave me a copy. I figure that... my words wouldn't give what happened justice. He raised his phone, putting it on speakers, and they all watched the scene that unfolded on screen.

  
  


Lila's expression slowly turned into horrified shock as she watched Adrien, who was squirming next to a supportive Nino, who had put his hand on his shoulder. The video panned out to show were everyone else in the class was. Alya was next to Lila, outright glaring at Adrien, Max and Nathaniel had joined Juleka and Rose at the bottom of the class, from the point of view of her camera, Chloe had to have sit on a table to watch the spectacle unfold, and the rest were surrounding the quarrelling teens 

_ A clown am I : Holy shit this is totally worth getting myself kicked out of Mendeleiev's class for... _

_ Sad boy : so that's Agreste's younger brother... _

  
  
"A commentary?" Marinette asked and the boys nodded.

"She was streaming it to her friends when it happened." Marinette blinked.

"Chloe has _friends_?" Adrien laughed nervously.

"Yeah, though if you ask her, she doesn't because she's a tough girl who needs nobody and she _will_ punch you if you even try to imply otherwise." He rubbed his arm as if experiencing phantom pain.

... Was it bad of Marinette to be more shocked about that than the class drama? Probably, but she paid extra attention as Max started the video again.

Lila's eyes filled with tears, and she looked the very picture of agonizing innocence.

"You... You don't mean that, right? We-We _love_ each other... All that time we spent together can't mean nothing! What did Rose even tell you love was?" She asked him. "You know she has different views on what it is, compared to other people..." There was a noise of something in the distance.

_ A clown am I : Wow. If she wasn't such a bitch, I'd try to recruit her for the theater club. _

_ Sad boy : Sure, and the Dark One would insist on a Shakespearean play using live weapons in a role where he can stab her. _

_ A clown am I : Now that you mention it, I don't see why I shouldn't go for it! There's nothing wrong with a bit of realism in a play! _

_ Sad boy : ... I'm going to have to bail you all out of jail one day, aren't I ? _

The camera suddenly swerved and Marinette could hear Chloe's giggle as it showed a Juleka stomping towards the oblivious group with pure murder on her face. She pushed her way through the body barricade and firmly planted herself between Lila and Adrien.

"I don't care what's going on in your little mental theater Rossi. I kept silent when you insulted Marinette because I know she wouldn't want to cause me a scene on her behalf, I didn't say anything when you turned your love life into a show, I was even ready to stay out fo this mess entirely but you _had_ to bring in Rose _again_ , didn't you?" She hissed, and Lila recoiled, before Juleka grabbed her collar and grought her in front of her, snarling dangerously. " Listen well _you soulless bitch_ , because I'm going to say it only once. Just because Rose and I love eachother doesn't make our love any less relevant than anyone else's and if I catch you even implying otherwise again, I will _ruin_ you, _capisce_?" She tightened her hold on the other girl's collar and her expression turned into brief fury before she quailed and nodded quickly. Juleka dropped, her, looking disgusted and Lila quivered and turned around to cry in Alya's arms.

"I... I didn't mean it like that... Why are you so horrible to me..." Juleka rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Keep my words in mind, Rossi, I actually have Felix in my friend list and I hear he'd be _real happy_ to have an excuse to go after you." She flipped her hair at her and strode away indifferently as if she was walking on the catwalk, ignoring people calling out for her to apologize. The camera went back to the main group.

_ A clown am I : Okay, her I want. She's like, hot. Also, Rossi didn't deny being Satan. Someone call the Dark One for an exorcism. _

_ "Not a chance, she's dating rose." Chloe murmured into the phone. _

_ A clown am I : I know, I just want her in my club, that attitude of hers was  _ hot as hell  _ and I totally wouldn't mind her stepping on me while calling me a worm with that glare. Hey Chlo, what do we know about her? _

_ Sad boy: TMI dude... _

_ "She's in Dupain-Cheng's group and she works for her part-time as a model. I also heard her girlfriend and her are starting a band." Chloe answered, sounding absent-minded. _

_ A clown am I : I see the Dark One has excellent taste in companions and eye for talent. Actress, model  _ and  _ musician? Clearly, he's wasted in Gabriel and we should save him from that terrible fate! _

Alya huffed and went back to hugging the sobbing Lila while glaring at the wavering Adrien.

_ Sad boy: Guys, He has been looking over my shoulder and he's typing something on his phone... Aaaand now he's gone. _

The model's phone vibrated and he looked at it curiously, before he looked around, his eyes finally settling on Chloe and her phone. He took a deep breath.

"I.. am sorry it had to come to that, but it is the truth... I fully admit that it was my ignorance that led to this situation and I _really_ am sorry for this, but the fact remains, I don't have romantic feelings for you Lila, and continuing to date you while knowing that would be unfair to you." The blond said, looking sincerely sorry.

"Y-You say that... But we could make it work if you tried...you've never ta-taken my side when it's your brother who hurts me... And you won't even hear it when somebody talks about M-Marinette..." She was wailing now. "Can...Can you even imagine how _hard_ it is for me not to get the wrong idea here?!"

"Hey! Don't make it about F-Agreste..." Nino hesitated a bit while mentioning the name. " You're the one who started all your fights and he was right to call you out on it. At least Chloe has the balls to admit to it!"

"You better bet I do, Lahiffe!" Chloe lowered her phone, still angling it towards the scene and hollered in the boy's direction.

"Nino what the hell?! You're siding with _Chloe_ instead of your friends?" Alya called out to Nino, something warning in her voice, and the boy flinched, before squaring his jaw, standing straighter and squeezing the blond's shoulder.

"I's siding with _Adrien_ , Chloe doesn't want or need anyone to side with her." "And don't you forget it!" Chloe called out in something close to enthusiasm. "I get that Lila and you are besties, babe, but that doesn't mean I can't see that some stuff is wrong! I... I _hate_ having to fight with you, I do, but this is going too far. _We've_ gone too far!" The capped boy head looked at Alya, then around. "We've basically forced Adrien, our friend, to date Lila when he didn't like her because no one even bothered to ask him how he felt about it!"

"T-To be fair, we didn't know any better either..." Mylène mumbled.

"Yeah, it's not like we're into that kind of stuff to begin with." Alix shrugged.

_ A clown am I : Mylène, darling, I love you dearly, but  _ please  _ solve your problem with Ivan already. _

_ Sad boy : Just because you didn't know better at the time doesn't mean you shouldn't try to right a wrong the moment you learn the truth of it! _

_ A clown am I : wow dude, getting heated up here, do you need to take a five? _

_ Sad boy : No, I'm just annoyed. _

"So you guys are just going to let this happen because you don't feel like it concerns you?" Nino looked around and, for the first time of this conversation, he looked angry. Alya must have recognized the signs, because she tried to intervene.

"Come on Nino, they've been together for so long, it' just a small spat, no need to make a big deal out of it, Lila and Adrien can talk about it on their own..."

"That's not the only problem and you know it Alya!" He shouted at the girl who physically recoiled. "I've already done a lot of things I wasn't proud of because I thought you knew better than me, but here and now, I'm starting to think this isn't true at all! The only think I thought I was good at was being Adrien's bro and like hell I'm going to step back when I'm being told I failed at that too!"

"Besides, if Dupain-Cheng is a marshmallow, then Adrien's spine is made of cotton candy -no offense Adrihoney, but you know it's true-, so he'd fold the moment no one is willing to stand up for him, and that's usually what Felix is here for." Chloe chose that moment to pipe up.

"Chloé!" Adrien whined in the girl's direction, and Marinette saw Chloe's perfectly manicured hand wave back.

"Uh, yeah, could we not..." Kim trailed off. " She's not here to defend herself."

"She was scary..." Ivan said with a winced. "I saw the vids, she was really ready to kill that guy."

"Actually, according to my calculations, she could easily have gone for a lethal blow much earlier. The black butterfly may have made her a lot more aggressive and drastically altered her personality, however it seemed she still had some amount of restraint." Max added helpfully.

"Could we _Not_. Talk. about Marinette?" Lila asked, shivering pitifully." As terrifying and brutal as she was, she's not the problem here..."

"Yeah." Nino said coldly. "The problem here is you."

The entire class went silent and the screen started lowering, before trembling and Chloe's fingers moved around, as if the phone had dropped and the girl had scrambled to catch it. Marinette felt much of the same, do be honest, because her mouth almost dropped and her eyes definitely widened.

_ A clown am I : Shots. Fired. I don't understand half of what's happening, but man, the convo's about to get heavy. _

_ Sad boy : Yeah. _

" _What_...?" Lila looked about as shocked as everyone else, clearly not understanding what she just heard.

"I _said_ , 'Yeah, the problem is _you_ '." Nino repeated clearly. "Everything and everyone _has_ to be all about you. No matter what we do, you always have a story to top it somehow. Mylène winning an acting contest? You got to meet an Oscar-winning actress! Kim featuring in a sports magazine because he placed well in the footall nationals? Oh, you've been on the covers of so many fashion magazines! I cold go on for hours and that's nto even counting in Marinette, what the _hell_ is your problem with her?! You've been after her the moment school started and she's been nothing but kind to you!" 

The others were looking at each other awkwardly, and it seemed his words were ringing true. 

"I'm not... That's not... You _know_ what's up with that!" She finally answered accusingly.

"I really don't, because right now, I'm trying to move forward with my life and I don't like you trying to drag old grudges to the surface." Nino glared back, and Lila uncharacteristically scoffed.

"Oh so _now_ you decided you did the bad thing? Isn't it a little late for that? She'll never forgive you for what you did and there's no way you can fix it!" She shouted angrily and Alya just looked from Nino to LIla. The designer just looked at the Italian, and felt mild regret at not hitting her harder. It would probably would have been worth the extra month of healing.

"I know." The boy grimaced, but not backing down. " I know, I was stupid, and a coward, and let the situation get to me to the point that I thought I had no escape anymore and ended up agreeing with what you came up with, and I will regret making that choice for the rest of my life. I know LB will never forgive me, and honestly, I won't forgive myself either, and I _don't want_ her to forgive me! But I've been thinking a lot this last month, and you know what I realized?" He asked, not letting her have the time to answer. " I looked at myself, and I _didn't like_ what I was seeing! _Yes_ , I made a big, unforgivable mistake, but Ag-Felix was _right_ and I was actively running away from it instead of manning up and owning up to it! I refuse to close my eyes to the truth anymore and if it means that we can't be friends then so be it, because I'm starting to believe that what we had here? It wasn't worth selling my soul over and _like Hell_ I'm letting my bro go through what I did!" Nevermind, Marinette thought faintly as her mouth dropped, an incomprehensible feeling squeezing her stomach and her eyes heating up. Was... What was going on...

"Now you're taking that guy's side?!" Lila screeched, and the door opened violently, revealing a slowly clapping Felix Agreste, paper bags hanging from his elbows.

_ Sad boy : duuuuude... _

_ A clown am I : GImme a sec, I wanna check something. _

_ Sad boy : How did he even time that. _

_ A clown am I : Holy shit _

_ A clown am I : Holy shit _

_ A clown am I : Holy shit _

_ "What?" Chloe whispered, sounding mildly offended that her drama was being interrupted. _

_ A clown am I : I did a quick check and this was the third time he was mentioned by name! _

_ Sad boy : How does he  _ keep  _ doing that ?! _

Felix stopped clapping, looking around with an utterly disinterested expression, then walked through the class towards Juleka, the camera following him.

"I have come to collect your notes for copy purposes." He said blankly and Marinette let a surprised laugh escape at the utter disbelief that oozed from everyone in the video. Luka readily gave him what she had, which he put in one of the bags he was holding, and gave her another. "The notes from two days ago." He explained, and the goth nodded, taking them back. He then turned around and surveyed the situation, disdain coloring his features the moment his eyes landed on Lila, then walked towards Adrien.

"I heard that there was an issue that required my attention?" He said, and the younger blond shrunk.

"Ah, no..." He said almost timidly, then Nino squeezed and relaxed his hand on his shoulder.

"He wants to break up with Lila, but Lila doesn't want to." THe cap-wearing boy said, and Felix raised an eyebrox.

"I see. Indeed this does not call for my attention." He nodded, then raised his other, bulkier paper bag. "This calls for a _celebration_. Thankfully, I came prepared in case of this specific eventuality." He handed the bag over for Nino to hold, then got something from his first bag. A glass flagon filled with a white powder, which he uncorked.

"How _dare_ you-Wha?!" Lila recoiled as she got a face full of white sand. Felix mumbled something as he raised his index and middle finger on his forehead, lowered them to his stomach, raised them to his heart, then to his other breast. Lila tried to advance abain, only for Felix to throw more of this white sand in her direction and she hurriedly stepped back, glaring at him.

Satisfied with the lack of action from Lila, the older blond nodded to himself and handed what he held to Nino, taking his bag back. Chloe zoomed in and they finally saw what he was holding.

"Dude, is that a _saltshaker_?" Nino stared at the item in disbelief.

"I heard it had some success warding off evil spirits." he answered absentmindedly.

_ "He was crossing himself!" Chloe snorted, doing her best to keep her voice at a whispering level. _

_ A clown am I : he what ?! _

_ Sad boy: So, basically, we just saw Felix ward off Satan with a saltshaker. _

_ A clown am I : dude, how are we not supposed to think of him as the Dark One when he rules this school with the power or terror and memes?! _

Chloe guffawed openly now. She wasn't the only one, as current day Adrien had a nervous giggle while Marinette was just enjoying the show _. _

"Now, I was saving this for Christmas, but since I missed your birthday, and this right here was too good to pass up, it will have to do." He signaled Adrien to follow him towards one of the empty tables, that happened to be closer to Chloe, and put his bag on it. Out of the bag were four boxes. One dark red with a black cat on it, one green with a black cat, one pink with a grey mouse, and one purple with a white butterfly on it. Adrien's mouth dropped open as his eyes bugged out.

"... _How_?" He squeaked. "DP never made any appearances!" He was hyperventilating now. " There were only five recorded instances of the first Chat Noir ever appearing and Two of Multimouse, It was Jaguar's first and only appearance, but DP _never_ showed up anywhere!"

"I asked." Felix answered simply. Marinette put her hand on her mouth and tried to killed the rising hysterical laughter.

"You... You asked?" Adrien asked numbly. "As in, you actually met with DP and _asked_?" Felix rummaged through the bag and got several paper sheets.

_ Sad boy: Surely he did n- _

"Seeing as you were all too busy running like headless chicked, as a member of the Ladyblog's staff, I took it upon myself to arrange for a meeting with Morpho bleu. This is Dame Papillon's statement regarding the events surrounding Jaguar's battle." He put a few sheets on the table. " This is the contract regarding the merchandise surrounding Team Miraculous." A much bigger stack was put on the table. "This is Dame Papillon's statement regarding the specifics of Multimouse's and her retirement. "He put a simple sheet on the growing paper stack. "And this." He made a theatrical pause. "Is a group of autographed sketches of the Miraculous team heroes. You will forgive for not being willing to bother Multimouse as she is currently recuperating. All of them are accurate and as such, were used to design the content of those boxes." He tapped them lightly as the put the last sheets, this time made of a thicker paper, on top of the stack. "I will need to read through them with you at al later date to ensure you understand it all correctly. Furthermore, I will ask that you are careful with the figures, since they are the first ones made and I suspect they will gain quite a bit of value..." He trailed off as he was the vibrating Adrien, so eager he was almost visibly sparkling, and sighed. " You may unbox them, _yes_."

_ A clown am I : ...Oh my god... _

_ Sad boy: You know what? I give up. Common sense and probability don't apply to Felix 'Overachieving is a coward's word' Agreste and Claude was right all along. _

_ A clown am I : ....A god walks among us, we're not worthy, we're not worthy! _

_ "hush you two." Chloe whispered. _

The younger blond immediately turned to Nino and grabbed his hands and the saltshaker. 

"Take a video. We're unboxing first edition Miraculous team figurines and we _need_ to record it for the Ladyblog!" He talked excitedly then turned around, looking at the boxes almost hungrily. Nino shrugged and raised his phone, and Marinete noticed a few more people did so too. Behind Ivan, she also saw LIla's utterly enraged expression. Oh, she _really_ didn't enjoy being ignored, did she.

_ A clown am I : No, hush YOU Chlo! We're seeing HISTORY here! Oh my god I just realized he's dating Mousinator, oh my god oh my god do you think if I asked she'd give me her autograph?! _

_ Sad boy: I was trying to  _ forget  _ about that. _

"'Mousinator'?" Marinette asked, and Adrien laughed, while Max readjusted his glasses.

"It seems your ... rather one sided beatdown of an individual whose mere fragment of an attack obliterated the Eiffel tower, as well as fending off multiple super villains even though you were visibly physically breaking down has created no small amounts of 'memes'. The one Claude is referring to is 'Terminator, but a smol Mouse girl', earning you the nickname 'Mousinator'." He answered, and Marinette hid her burning face in her hands.

"Is it too late to just get myself homeschooled?" She whined, and Adrien pat her on the arm.

"It will only make it worse." He said, knowing her pain well.

"I'm half tempted to watch the rest of the video for the reaction, and half tempted to just change subjects." Marinette said cautiously. Adrien nodded quickly, while Max answered.

"The rest of the video consists of Adrien unboxing and talking about the figures in detail for ten minutes each and reciting each and every fact he knows about them, while in the background, Nino fended off Lila with Felix' saltshaker. Oh. He also broke up with Alya." He finished as an afterthought.

"Oh." Was all Marinette could say.

"Yeah, I was so distracted by the figurines I sort of forgot about all of that until it was over..." Adrien said, embarrassed. Max shook his head and Marinette giggled.

After a moment of silence, Marinette spoke up again.

"So, uhm, yeah... I'm Multimouse... Sorry to disappoint?" She winced, and Adrien immediately captured her hands in his, positively sparkling.

" _Never_. If it weren't for that rule about secret identities, I'd have marched to DP myself and _demanded_ you get to keep it!" That would make things complicated... "You're the best person I know about Felix, and he's _Felix_!"

"And now you're exaggerating, but thanks anyways, Adrien." She smiled at the boy let go of her, thoughtful.

"I'm not so sure..." He trailed off, but said nothing more. Max cleared his throat.

"As you may have surmised from this video, the situation in class is tense. Less so now that things have had time to settle concerning you, but still very heated. Alya didn't take well to being dumped and Lila can't look at Adrien without sobbing. The rest of the class seems to have been choosing sides, with the exception of Rose and Juleka. Chloe doesn't count on accounts of being herself. As for the situation, the transition between Blue Morpho and Dame Papillon was done relatively smoothly, though there were a few concerns when the second Chat Noir appeared. I think the Champions cowed the reporters into submissions when they said Dame Papillon had worked herself sick and this was what caused the black butterfly. Restoring the Eiffel Tower did wonders to the rest of your team's reputation."

" _Former_ team." Marinette shook her head with a wry smile.

"You'll have to tell that to everyone else, because Morpho Bleu and Chat Noir have been caught entering and getting out of your house." Max answered and Marinette's face sunk into her hands again.

"Those guys, really..." She whined.

"At this point, you're kind of expected to become the face of the group." Adrien admitted. "Plus, you being Multimouse already put you on everyone's radar, so one way or another, you can't escape it." 

It was at this moment that a horrified Marinette finally saw the irony of this world. 

_ She was the  _ Queen Bee _ here. _

  
  


* * *

**November 15th:**

Marinette was walking to school, holding a box of macarons, with Felix on her right, and a few bodygards trailing behind them. She should feel happy to go back to school, but all she was feeling was mortification. The worst thing about it all? She couldn't wear white and pink at the same time anymore because _Multimouse_ , Felix said, and she mourned for the loss of her theme color, before switching it to blue. Her hair was done up in a chignon to hide her bee comb and she wore her standard attire, except the pink of her capris was traded for sky blue. The school was appearing within her field of view and she paused a moment, feeling a surge of panic that made it hard to breathe.

"I-I don't think I'm ready..." Her voice trembled slightly, and Felix squeezed her fingers.

"Take your time. We went early for a reason." The blond reassured her.

"They're all going to _hate_ me!" She said and the other teen hummed.

"You know Rose and Juleka don't, Adrien and Max are far too star struck to even think negatively about you, Chloe doesn't care, and the rest don't really matter, do they?" He asked rhetorically and she laughed slightly at his flippant tone. "Besides, if Lila does so much as look at you wrong, the boy half of the class will jump in to intervene anyways." Ah, yes, the Class' Civil War...

" _Everyone in school_ knows who I am now!" Marinette whined, coming to the real problem.

"They do." He admitted. "And you would have had to deal with that kind of attention anyways in your intended career path and with the company you keep." Marinette's cheeks puffed in irritation.

"Curse you and your logic." She grumbled, before hesitantly stepping towards the school. People stared a lot, but at least it wasn't as bad as she was expecting, mostly because Françoise-Dupont was host to several other celebrities, and oh boy did she hate the fact she counted among them.... Well, at least, it wasn't that bad, until everyone fell silent when she was in the hallways. She reflexively shrunk and hung onto Felix' Jacket as he strode, looking at the audience warningly. The ambiance was almost choking her and then...

"All hail the Dark One, for he alone fights off the Darkness!" Someone shouted from her right and, to her eternal shame, she jumped in surprise and squeaked. Loudly. On her right was a tall teen with fair skin and dark hair, who was currently spouting nonsense about Felix and stopped himself to look at her, inspecting her closely.

"You... You actually _squeaked_..." He said, looking at her in wonder. "Oh my god that's so _cute_! "He gushed. " Looke at you, you're so _tiny_ , and those pigtails, and the freckles and baby blue eyes! I just want to kidnap you in my club and feed you sweets and give you _all the headpats_..." He inspected her and Felix gently pushed her on his other side.

"Haprèle. Enough." He snapped and the other boy stood ramrod straight at attention, arm raised in a military salute.

"Yes my lord! This lowly servant will see himself out! All hail the Dark One, for he has come to save us all!" He exclaimed once more, before walking away with grand gestures earning him a few laughs and some 'hails'. Marinette allowed herself to relax and she noticed that whatever tension was there before had disappeared, making it easier for her to breathe.

"For all that he is a massive annoyance, Haprèle _does_ know how crowds work." Felix confirmed that this entire scene was planned by the other boy before she even asked, and she was led to the classroom. The very noisy classroom. She looked at him hesitantly and he sighed, though his annoyance wasn't directed at her. He opened the door and entered, Marinette trailing behind him. 

Alya and Nino had been obviously shouting at each other, Lila was crying, Adrien looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here, as for the seats... Chloe, Rose and Juleka were sitting at the back, tut they weren't kidding when they said it was a boy versus girls situation. The girls were sitting on the row next to the door, while the boys were on the one next to the windows. 

"What a scene to come back to." Felix drawled, sarcasm dripping from his every word. "And here I was, hoping you could keep a lid on it for the first period at least. It seems I was mistaken."

"Oh, _shove off_ Agreste..." Alya mumbled as the older teen left the class after squeezing Marinette's forearm reassuringly, but she sounded downright subdued. "Hey girl..." She trailed off, looked at Marinette.

"H-Hello Alya..." She answered, not feeling comfortable with the situation n the least.

"We, uh, saved you a seat." The reporter pointed behind her, next to Mylene, and Kim hollered.

"Hey! No hogging her, we have a place for her too!" He pointed at the empty spot near Nathan, who looked like he didn't want to be there. This sparked another glaring contest as both sides were preparing for a fight, when a voice cut through the haze.

" _Oh my god_ , you're all _ridiculous_! Every last one of you!" Marinette's savior (?) appeared in the person of Chloe, who strode confidently to Marinette, grabbed her by the shirt and dragged her along, sitting her behind a desk next to Juleka and sitting herself on her other side. " _Obviously_ Dupain-Cheng has better things to do than get involved in your little squabble and will seat with us!" The blonde flipped her ponytail, before lifting her phone and beginning to type on it.

"We kind of _are_ her best friends." Juleka nodded. "Except Chloe, she doesn't count." Chloe lifted her middle finger at Juleka, who retaliated with her own, then their hands flipped and it turned into a mutual hand wave.

Was... Was that a special greeting? Marinette wondered faintly, because clearly, she had to be still dreaming or have gone insane because how in the world did _Chloe and Juleka_ of all people end up on _speaking terms_ ?!

  
  


* * *

**December 1st.**

On one hand, Chloe made sure no one would ever get too close to her, and for that Marinette was more grateful that she cared to admit. On the other, Marinette mused as she looked at herself in the bathroom while hiding from a bunch of criminals after Alya, really, Pollen? _Really_ ?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BRAND NEW DAY.
> 
> THIS CHAPTER DIDN'T WANT TO END
> 
> "Oh, but Ori, they want to see Nerdrien gush, you can't deprive them of that."   
> "Oh but Ori, what about Felix versus LIla, you can't cur that out!"  
> "Oh but Oriiiiiii-"X15
> 
> *AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*
> 
> *coughs*
> 
> So, uh, yeah. Lots of stuff. SHoul dhave probably cut but I said prep for timeskip, so prepping for timeskip it is!
> 
> Here, have more Chaotic dumbases beign chaotic and dumbasses.


	18. Prelude to catastrophe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time waits for no one. It delivers all of us to the same end. It jsut so happens that some encounters theirs sooner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For visualization purposes because my description probably sucks, here's Honeybee the Bumblebee... Don't expect anything fancy '-'
> 
> https://raspecea.tumblr.com/post/637701158272630785/quick-sketch-ot-honeybee-the-bumblebee-for

Marinette, now Honeybee, was running around and trying to ignore her growing freakout over the situation. Last time, she was the butterfly and kept Sabrina calm but here she didn't have Sabrina's bevy of powers and once more she remembered that the butterfly Miraculous was completely and utterly unfair, restrictions be  _ damned _ . Crouching on the rooftop, she observed the surroundings and noticed a suspicious clack van stationed just outside of the school, likely in charge of the communications. She narrowed her eyes, before jumping as stealthily as someone wearing yellow and black could be in broad daylight.

  
  
  


"Goddamnit Alya, who'd you go and piss off now..." Kim groaned, sitting on the floor. "You realize you're gonna get the school closed permanently at this rate, right?" A bunch of angry noises on the far side led him to look at Chloe, who was tied up from head to toe and gagged. Looking at her from the side were a pair of criminals, one of them trying to stop the other's bleeding from the bullet wound on his thigh. Kim felt a shudder. Chloe had been aiming for his crotch.

"Stupid bitch, if you weren't the mayor's daughter, I'd have just killed you and been done with it." The man muttered, giving her a kick, which led her to struggle even more.

The door opened, and the class saw a tall, reedy man with an unassuming, smiling face enter the classroom.

"Ah, so this is the one. Hello children, I am not at liberty to provide you with a name, but you may call me G." He gave the class a once over, before his eyes landed on the reporter. "Ah, here she is, the foolish girl who will put anything in danger as long as it gives her her next big scoop... Alya... Césaire, wasn't it?"

"What's it to you?" Alya glared defiantly at him, and the man laughed throatily.

"Oh, it has everything to do with me. You see, most people would kill you for what you've done, but I consider myself a reasonable man who can recognize talent when he sees it. I want you to work for me Césaire."

The teenage girl obviously didn't expect that.

"What?" She asked in disbelief, and the man chuckled a bit.

"You see, there is the small problem of superheroes. However, they are still human, with human weaknesses, out of costume. So, wouldn't it be best for a criminal like me to do something about them before they become too much of a nuisance? Something you can help us with." The man answered in a lackadaisical fashion and Alya stared at him in utter disbelief.

"What the hell have you been smoking and can I get some because holy shit you have to be high to think-" A loud crashing noise interrupted her rant and everyone's heads turned to see a rather peculiar sight.

The two mere unconscious on the ground and on top of them sat a yellow and black heroine, looking half panicked and half mortified. Adrien tilted his head. He hadn't seen that one. Her build was on the smaller side, ber legs and arms were covered in some sort of black textile that had thin golden hexagonal patterns when exposed to sunlight, as well as cream-colored fuzzy arm and leg warmers. Her torso was covered with black and yellow stripes, with a larger one around her chest area. She had a spinning top with diagonal stripes fastened to her hips, and a fuzzy collar around her neck area. On her face lay a black domino mask covered by a yellow visor. Her black hair was done up in a bun with a yellow ribbon coiled around its surface. The extremities of said ribbon jutting high above her head like antennae.

The first thought Adrien was that the new heroine was bee-themed. The second, as the girl clumsily got up and was obviously panicking, was an intense, uncontrollable urge to  _ protect _ .

"Ha...I'm so sorry for breaking the window, I didn't notice it was closed!" She said in a high voice, looking around and noticing the criminal standing in front of the class. Her eyes widened in surprise as... D-Did her antennae lift in surprise? "E-Er... Hi?" There was an awkward moment, there was another thudding noise as she nailed the last criminal on the forehead with her spinning top, then rushed to him and punched him in the gut hard enough to make him fly and crash against the blackboard. 

"Th-that's taken care of..." She mumbled and looked around, before her eyes widened as she saw the hogtied Chloe still wriggling on the floor, (Her antennae twitched again!) and rushed to untie her. "I-I'm sorry for being late! I needed to take down their communications and I still can't figure out how that spinning top works and oh my god I could have gotten you all injured or killed and then the team would boot me out and I'd end up messing up my way into accidental villainy! I don't _want_ to become a supervillain!" The girl finished untying the blonde while her trains of thoughts spiraled more or more out of control.

Chloe took a look at her, then raised her phone and took a photo, shocking the striped heroine out of her panic.

"-and - Huh?" She looked around once more. "Oh. Oh no.  _ oh no no no _ ..." She put her hands on her head. "I was supposed to be joining up with Chat Noir, don't tell me I got lost again!" She whined. 

A head with messy blond hair popped through the door as Chat Noir, second of his name, looked inside, grinning.

"Honey, you're here! I see you've  _ bee-n _ a  _ busy bee _ here!" He walked inside the room towards the panicking heroine, while addressing the class. "Alright kiddies, danger's over, please get out of the school in an orderly fashion, you know the drill." He finally arrived next to Chloe, who kept looking at ...Honeybee? up and down with an unreadable expression on her face and slowly began nudging the other towards the exit.

" _ I'm not a honey bee, stupid, clumsy bees whose only good point is being tough don't deserve honey, I'm a bumblebee.. _ ." She was muttering, while the hero snorted.

"Sheesh, I know it's your first day on the job, but  _ purrhaps  _ you should calm down a bit? You've used venom, so you need to go...hm?" He looked at the girl questioningly as she hid her face in her gloved hands, her antennae dropping. "What did you say?"

"... I said I panicked and I  _ forgot  _ and just beat that guy up..." The bee heroine whined. Chat Noir's eyes widened, before he snorted and began laughing, shaking his head.

"Come on,  _ Newbee _ , let's get you away  _ beefore  _ something else happens.” He began pushing her again, only for her to be dragged back. Chloe grabbed her fuzzy forearms, gave her one last look and nodded.

"Starting from this day, you are mine." She stated, before dragging her away, followed by a protesting feline superhero.

Adrien thought that Chat Noir and Chloe's rivalry over Honeybee the bumblebee would just be something temporary.

How wrong he was...

* * *

After Winter, Spring came...

  
  


"Pollen, why do I  _ keep  _ behaving like that when I'm transformed..." Marinette sighed, hugging her pillow on her bed as the bee was playing with her perfumes. Felix was reading on the other side of the bed, half listening, while Luka was absentmindedly playing his guitar. Marinette had given up on booting them out and they were now using her room as a hideout.

"Oh, that's because after the incident with Mullo your abilities as a miraculous holder have been augmented compared to the average wielder, but so did the drawbacks you see, so you've inherited some more tendencies compared to the average Bee. As Honeybee, you're a lot more honest with your thoughts and feelings with other people, as well as more sensitive about the moods of the people surrounding you. In your case, it's something to watch out for, since you are not a Queen. Not yet, anyways, but that's what I'm here for!" The kwami said as Luka tilted his head pensive. "Of course, the benefit here is that your durability has been increased to the point that you actually are tougher than Chat Noir against physical attacks and immune to bullets."

"Does that mean that if she were to wield the cat, there's a chance that she could inherit actual cat traits when transformed?" Luka's grin was nothing short of predatory and Marinette squawked as Pollen smiled placidly.

"Indeed, some observed tendencies were purring, an odd fascination for climbing trees, attention seeking, increased bad luck and so on..." The musician clapped his hands.

"Well then. I would like to suggest having Marinette try all the Miraculous, that way she would get a hang on with what would happen should she need to use another in case of emergency. We can't afford another Bumblebee incident now, can we?" The girl narrowed her eyes at him.

"You just want to see if I'm going to run after a laser pointer, don't you." She hissed, and Luka laughed.

"No, I want to see if you'll actually purr. For science."

Felix just sighed and turned a page as the two began bickering.

* * *

And after Spring, Summer...

  
  


Lila was crying all the tears in her body, comforted by Alix and Mylène. Alya had been taken out of school by her parents, then promptly ran away from home, refusing to stay put when there were still investigations to be done. Marinette noticed that Nino didn't look great, Adrien on his side trying to lift up his spirits, while her eyes narrowed as she looked at her sheet. She remembered that Alya's supernatural investigative ability got her a lot of attention, including that of criminals. If one of them got their hands on her, then the Team was in danger.

Felix couldn't make it, those vacations, because he had to present his first collection to the investors and several other professionals to be judged. It came to exactly no one's surprise when it was accepted, although it was a lot closer than what Felix was comfortable with, he admitted.

With Gabriel still in a coma, the blond tried to get Lila booted out of the manor, to no avail. The official reason now was because she couldn't be used as a hostage against Alya, though no one really bought that one. This was a very awkward period at the Agreste Manor, and to spite everyone there, Felix dragged a very enthusiastic Adrien to a parlor to get his ears pierced. Nathalie's pinched expression upon noticing the plain silvery studs made the older boy's inside feel all warm and fuzzy.

Marinette herself was swamped with orders, Honeybee's (secretly deliberate) clumsiness and overall harmless air doing wonders to make everyone forget about ‘Multimouse, destroyer of worlds’ and soon, dedicated people noticed the clothes Lila wore on that fateful day and traced it back to her...

* * *

Autumn came, and with it, a new school year.

  
  


It was Marinette's first year of high school, and Felix' last. She had been enjoying some peace and quiet, when on the first day, Claude Haprèle stormed into the classroom, grabbed Juleka and her, and ran back to the theater club, where a highly annoyed Felix' eye was twitching. There was a whiteboard in the clubroom and written on it, 'Claude's super duper awesome plot for world domination.'

"I got you the sexy henchwomen, now you have no reason to say no!" The other teen chirped and wow, did Felix's growl sound like an angry cat's...

  
  


Speaking of Claude...

"Okay, just like we rehearsed." He whispered loudly to his neighbor, Gavroche, as they hid behind the door of Chloe's room and peeked through the small gap between it and the wall.

Chloe's room was entirely yellow and black and she was striding in front of a board, clad in a modified Honeybee outfit, while Adrien Agreste was sitting on a very fuzzy black carpet, also clad in similar colors.

" _ This _ , Adrihoney, is our enemy!" She said decisively, slapping an image of Chat Noir right in the nose.

"Okay, but why?" The teenage boy asked, confused, as Chloe sighed, shaking her head.

"That mangy, flea-bitten, lowly alley cat obviously has feelings for her! He's a love rival, Adrien!  _ You  _ I tolerate because you are worthy, but I won't allow that stray to get his filthy claws on MY Honeybee!" Chloe shouted and Adrien tilted his head, before nodding slightly.

Gavroche and Claude looked at eachother, nodded, and opened the door loudly.

"This is an intervention, you've gone too far, Queen Bee!" Claude claimed loudly and dramatically. Gavroche Crossed his arms and looked at her in disapproval.

"Stay out of it Haprèle!" Chloe hissed, grabbing her spinning top replica.

"I cannot!" He said. "For I am the president of Honeybee's fanclub, and you have committed an  _ unforgivable sin _ !" he reached under her bed and grabbed a box that he upended, many magazines spilling from it, two unmarked books on top. He grabbed them before Chloe could pounce for them and dragged the bed's covers, revealing a Honeybee body pillow that certainly wouldn't have been approved by the merchandising department of the Ladyblog. "You." He pointed at Chloe "DARED to  _ lewd  _ the Bee with your impure mind! Watch at those filthy, FILTHY I SAY Honeybee x Dame Papillon Doujins you were hiding in that box! " Holding it in front of him, he opened it outwards, unaware that it was opened on a rather graphic page that had Adrien's face combust the moment he laid his eyes on it. He then made a dramatic turn, showing it to an inexistent audience... That happened to actually exist, as Marinette and Felix were here, the girl holding a box of macarons. The two newcomers' eyes landed on what he was holding before he could close it and, to Claude's surprise, both of their faces instantly turned red, before Marinette let go of the box and hid her face in her hands, screaming, while Felix... 

Felix  _ smiled _ .

Two years later, Claude still had nightmares about it and the punishment that followed.

* * *

It was winter, and Marinette and Felix still couldn't look at each other in the eye after that incident.

  
  


Nino had been running around for his morning jog, when he saw Alya walking with a determined expression, clad in a suit with a pencil skirt and her hair done up in a chignon, flanked by two men that looked like criminals as she was entering a building about... Public records? He closed his fist, gritting his teeth. 

So that was it, wasn't it. Nino closed his eyes and breathed heavily to calm himself. He could walk up to her and confront her, likely getting his answers and getting killed in the process. It probably wouldn't be a great loss in the grand scheme of things, either. But then...

Then, there would be no one to stop Alya before her thirst for knowledge ruined even more lives.

Nino turned around and walked away, knowing that they would meet again. 

After all, that was what he had wished for.

* * *

Spring came, peaceful and yet, a select few could feel something shift in the air. Something ominous.

  
  


Nathalie looked up from her computer, lips pursing, before going back to her work, her hand falling on the head of the doberman that was on her lap. On his collar was a simple name. Cerberus.

Marinette was translating the Miraculous book with the help of Felix when they paused and looked at eachother. The girl pursed her lips and shook her head, going back to writing. ' _ And form the One came Two, and from the Two comes One, as a world is made and unmade for the sake of a single wish _ -'

Claude was bowing in front of a thunderous applause, sweat sliding along his brow. This had been without a doubt his best performance, and it seemed like the examiners for his intended school seemed to agree. Yet, he felt a pinch of disappointment when he saw neither his stepmother, nor his half-sister among the crowd...

In front of his computer, Adrien was typing, his hair pulled up in a centimeter long ponytail, a few hair clips holding it in place and classes on his nose. He was typing away, keeping the Ladyblog updated, when he paused and frowned. Was there something wrong with Honeybee?

* * *

With summer came graduation.

  
  


Claude had abandoned all dignity and was holding onto Felix, bawling his eyes out.

"My looooooord! How will I survive without youuuuuuuu!" Felix crossed his arms, both eyes narrowed and glaring at his mother, who was holding a camera in her hands and waving at him.

"Claude, you're causing a scene. " Gavroche, his long-suffering partner in crime tried to pry him off of the increasingly irate teen, while Luka just laughed.

"It's his job. Besides, I'll miss his enthusiasm once he's gone." The musician smiled, and Claude let go of Felix, who had punched him on top of the head, to instead pounce the friendlier teen and babble.

"Luuukaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" He wailed even louder. "You're too pure for this world and we don't deserve you, but I'll miss youuuuuuuuuuu!"

"Damn it Claude, stop making so much noise." His friend said, discreetly wiping a tear.

Felix just sighed.

"You people are all going to be studying at the same place, literally  _ half an hour  _ from here..."

" _ But Fefeeeeeeeeee _ ! It's not the same! We won't get to witness your awesomeness in person anymore!" Claude whined, still holding onto Luka. "Besides, Luka is a madman who decided to major in composition AND psychology! My beautiful Adonis isn't going to have any time left for me anymore!"

"Aw, come on, I'll always have time for my favorite actor." He smiled at Claude, who made a swooning expression.

"If only you were into your fellow humans and not Dark Overlords and Walking Apocalypses, I could show you _ so many things. _ .." The actor batted his eyelashes and Luka snorted, quickly followed by Claude, and soon, the both of them were laughing hysterically, the actor letting go of Luka and raising his fist. "Nah, seriously, don't be a stranger. I want to hang out at least once a week." Luka bumped his fist with his own.

"I'll bring Felix with me if you bring Gavin?"

"You got it!" Claude's smile positively illuminated the place.

* * *

And with Autumn, a new school year.

  
  


It was odd, going to school and no Felix. Marinette shifted awkwardly and Adrien seemed to agree. Already, from the corner of her eye, she could already see Lila approach. She had to admire her perseverance at this point. Her reputation was in tatters, everybody knew her for what she was and yet, she seemed to cling on the wish...  _ Oh _ . Marinette had a moment of realization. The wishes, they all went both ways, didn't they? The cause and the effect, they remained intact all along, so for Lila, who 'wished to be the center of Adrien's universe'... If she didn't despise the Italian so much, she might have pitied her, Marinette thought.

"Adrien!" She shouted, running their way, and the blond winced.

"Piss off!" Chloe appeared out of nowhere and pushed her out of the way, before pointing to Marinette! "You! Have you finished my set of Honeybee nightwear?!" She grabbed Marinette staring intently and Marinette nodded very quickly, blushing. Her relationship with Chloe was so awkward... Even ignoring the Honeybee issue, which she did insistently, this Chloe was still very much the girl who would bully people if they got on her radar, and she wasn't the semi repentant Chloe of that other place and yet... And yet Chloe seemed so much happier.

"Sheesh, do you need to hit someone every time you appear, Gorilla woman?" Juleka walked to the other side of Marinette, Rose holding onto her arm.

"This coming from miss 'Stepping on you losers is my reason for being'? Ridiculous!" Chloe sniped back, and they had their customary hand greeting.

Yet another mystery that Marinette didn't manage to solve, that.

* * *

This winter was cold and dark.

  
  


So of course, this is when Gabriel Agreste woke up from his coma, to see Tikki sitting on his chest, peering at him intently. Then she smiled at him.

"You're running out of time." She stated, her tone definitive, relishing on the panic she could see in his eyes. "Your body is in ruins. Your enemy, stronger than ever. Yes Gabriel, The Ladybug finally woke up, and your entire life’s work is soon going to end, but you won't be here to see it _ crash and burn _ ." The Kwami said and floated away, as Gabrien's eyes closed against his will as the medicine took effect.

* * *

Spring came once more.

  
  


Marinette finally finished translating the miraculous ook, but she couldn't shake that sense of unease she felt and so, she came back to her usual favorite activity in this world, plotting. Thankfully, this was one of those days Luka was busy, so she'd sub in for him as Dame Papillon tonight. This made things easier. She closed her eyes as a butterfly flew into the night.

"Hello again." She said.

Caline Bustier sighed as she heard about what happened to the children that were her responsibility. Her first class she was given after obtaining her certification as a teacher, and looking back at it… She pursed her lips, fingering a plain card with a number on it.

Alya Césaire was standing alone in a dimly lit room, walls covered with papers and photographs, red woolen threads creating a sprawling spider web. She looked at a specific piece of paper and frowned, before she reached out and ripped the threads off, took down the photos and papers, then put a single photograph on the wall and smiled.

"Well played, I never knew you had it in you, but you're really scary when you went to be, huh?"

The hand drawn picture of Ladybug smiled back at her. Her mind went back to Hawkmoth's last words when she last saw him.

"Ladybug will destroy the world."

Alya Césaire sighed, and got back to work. She was on a time limit here.

* * *

Summer came back once more.

  
  


"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Nino's father looked at him, concerned. "They'll train you until you wish to die. Especially the Special Forces." 

Nino nodded.

"I have something I have to do no matter what." He said firmly. The older man sighed, then signed the paper sheet.

"Try to come back to us in one piece, won't you? Scouted by them or not, you're still my son, your mother will worry."

"I know." Nino said, and his father shook his head, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He said to the silence.

* * *

Then, the last Autumn.

  
  


It was her last year of school, Marinette mused idly. Was it a prelude to an end? Somehow, it felt like it

* * *

With the first snows of Winter, the cracks widened.

  
  


Marinette woke up with an ear-piercing scream, alerting her kwami and family. Felix clutched at his head and groaned, as a nearby Adrien jumped, startled. Nino shuddered. Alya growled in fury. Nathalie wept. Lila laughed madly.

Gabriel Agreste was found dead, crucified in his hospital room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp.
> 
> I hoped you heeded my warning that post timeskip was going to get crazy and had your fill of humor with Felix and Lila.
> 
> Because things are going to get spicy with a side dash of slaughter and explosion...
> 
> (Meanwhile, Ori's soul cries in a corner about the fight scenes planned and knows she has to NAIL DEAD TO THE FRICKIN DOOR because the Kagami stans will skin her alive if she messes up.)


	19. Twilight of a Heroic Age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tikki and Wayzz argue, an everyday (night) Operation for team Miraculous and Lila is creepier than usual.

It was midnight in the Agreste Mansion's master bedroom, and Tikki was watching at a sleeping Emile Agreste. In her sleep, at least, Nathalie's curse didn't take effect, and the woman got to experience all that she missed. She was quite pitiful, the kwami mused. Able to notice something was wrong, but unable to think or do anything about it. To her credit, she was trying, the kwami's blue eyes absentmindedly drifted towards the wall covered by post-its filled with incomplete sentences, and to her credit once more, Tikki truly believed that the woman would manage to circumvent her problem eventually. Probably even sooner after she loses the earrings, as she won't be assailed by misfortune after misfortune, the latest of which happened two days ago. Tikki had nothing to do with that, and while she suspected, she didn't know for sure who was behind it, but the threads of causality that had the man's neck in a stranglehold were tightly interwoven with Emilie, a clear as day sign of who is truly responsible for this. Tikki floated up and phased through the walls, checking the bedrooms one by one. 

Nathalie had fallen asleep, though even sleep didn't manage to hide her swollen eyes. She had been devastated by the news of Gabriel's overdue demise and for some arcane reason, Duusu had been adamant on staying near the woman. This had been surprising, but not fully unexpected, for while the woman did serve that man with her heart and soul, she took her duties seriously, and being Duusu's caretaker was one of them. That woman's mindset was that of a soldier loyal to her beloved lord, that much was made obvious when her own sentimonster appeared, and now that he died, she was lost. This was an opportunity, Tikki thought, but the woman would be much too on guard around her for the kwami to act directly.

Adrien's room was... Interesting. There were several shelves of superhero figures, 

on the walls, prints of some more important Ladyblog issues were mixed with elemental tables as well as paper sheets filled with calculations, and while the room itself was kept clean, the decoration was such a mix of loud and clashing colors that it felt chaotic. The boy himself was snoring lightly and Tikki noticed he didn't take off his black earrings. He was a most interesting child, like Felix was a most interesting creation. Tikki went on her way and Felix' room was next. 

For once, he was staying the night instead of going back to his flat. He had fallen asleep while filling some paperwork, and she could see that someone had put a comforter over his shoulders. Next to him, Plagg was curled up, fast asleep and visibly satisfied. His fur was even shining due to the care of Marinette, who was learning more on kwami care under Pollen. She puffed her cheeks and glared jealously at the cat, who opened an eye and smirked, before closing it again. 

Deciding nothing could be done here, she floated to the last room and landed on the top shelf, hiding in the dark as the person she despised the most after Gabriel was softly rocking on the ground. Lila Rossi certainly had seen better days, her hair unwashed and deep bags underneath her eyes. All around her were sheets of paper containing disjointed sentences in Italian, that should become to a crazed person and yet... Tikki's eyes lifted to the wall, that should have been pristine white under this light, but was covered in scribbles, one particularly prominent. Tikki felt herself smile. After Tikki's extensive use of gaslighting and sleep deprivation to get the girl to bend, of all the Realizations Lila Rossi could have had, she had the one that ended up  _ breaking her mind _ .

"Smiling at other people's misery again, I see." Wayzz landed next to her, his expression neutral.

"When you learn to make something, you also learn how to unmake it." Tikki giggled, refusing to rise to the bait.

"Plagg would probably like to contest that point vehemently." The turtle looked at her, unimpressed.

"Plagg has no say in this when his handiwork on my Chosen is out for this entire world to see." She almost hissed and Wayzz sighed, bonking her on the head with his tiny fist.

"He's kept her alive and on the straight and narrow. Pollen is too permissive, even after she started to draw on the other end of Subjection." He said with the tone of someone who uttered those words many times before.

"But I heard the others." Tikki whined now. " Why does  _ he  _ get to be the reasonable one when I have the reputation of being a  _ vengeful bloodhound _ ? That stinky sock does nothing ninety percent of the time!"

"Gilles de Rais." Wayzz immediately answered. "Vlad Tepes. Octavian Augustus. I could go on for ages, Tikki. You may be a force for good most of the time, but the moment someone triggers your rage, we have all learned to stay away. Plagg is the only one with the power and experience to stop you in those situations, therefore, is it any surprise that we are all considering him to be the one to look for when you enter one of said rages? LIke you do now? Don't let your anger and jealousy blind you Tikki, we kwamis are all your allies and friends, do not begrudge Plagg and Pollen for trying to fill the void you left in your absence. We both know that it would have been trivial for you to arrange your return to her when it comes down to it." The kwami of the turtle turned again to look at the human girl in the midst of a mental breakdown.

"I hate it when you make sense..." The red and black kwami sulked. "Why do you keep making sense Wayzz?" She whined, and the turtle shook his head fondly.

"Creation is the first concept, to make something that wasn't there before. When it comes to humans, that means that creative humans need to be able to think of what isn't there and make it appear, but if you look at it another way, that also means that your ideal wielders have a higher than average propensity to go insane, develop neuroses and so one, be it because of the weight of obligations, the necessity of inflexibility to avoid power abuse, or because they lost touch with reality due to their need to think of what isn't and what could be instead of what  _ is _ . If you take all that into account, then the behavior of the Order of the Guardians when it comes to giving out your miraculous makes a lot more sense, don't you think? Your miraculous requires a certain inflexibility and resilience from your wielder to harness the insanity inherent to your being, or they will eventually crumble and turn into dust. Of course, that means that such individuals also make for a good fit for any other Miraculous..." He trailed off, and Tikki puffed her cheeks.

"That doesn't mean I have to  _ like  _ Marinette prancing around in yellow and black." She muttered mulishly and the turtle sighed. 

"Just... Just make sure to limit the blast when everything is said and done. Those are  _ children  _ here Tikki, not chess pieces on a convoluted game board. Children that adults  _ failed  _ in egregious manners." Wayzz looked seriously at Tikki, who tilted her head.

"You almost sound like you've  _ forgiven  _ Nino." She said with a dangerous edge to her voice.

"I did." The kwami answered. "I have lived a long life and been misused much more terribly than having to stand down, be sued as transportation, and answer questions. He was a fool in love, and other people took advantage of his heart and nature to their own ends. I forgave him the moment he lost me trying to stand up for the values that made him a good turtle, and since then he stuck to it. I am much too old to hold a grudge against a child because of a childhood mistake, even one with such catastrophic consequences. Hawkmoth I hate. Rossi I loathe. Nino on the other hand is now alone and must figure his own way knowing what he did and helped to do and hating himself for it. I will not punish him, because he is doing it himself in my stead and this is enough for me." He looked at Tikki with a steely voice. The Kwami rolled her eyes.

" _Fine_ , I'll let him off the hook. But you do realize that he is tied with Alya in an absolute way." She huffed, crossing her arms and Wayzz nodded.

"This is what he wanted, even if he didn't know it himself at first. He chose this fate out of his own free will, even after realizing what it truly meant, and that resolve is something I can say I honestly admire." The spotted kwami looked at him with an unreadable gaze.

"You  _ did  _ champion for us to forgive Fu after the temple was destroyed..." She hummed consideringly. "I suppose I will trust in your judgement for now." She turned around to look at Lila intently, cogs whirring in her brains and plans being adjusted and way did the same, finally relaxing.

He sent a thought to his former wielder. This was the last thing Wayzz could do for him. Now, everything else was in his hands. Angry Tikki was always unpleasant to deal with, but yet again, he hadn’t been traumatized like Nooroo was during the Jeanne d’Arc incident. The poor Butterfly was still praying to Plagg and worshipping the very air the other kwami breathed, to the Cat’s obvious discomfort...

  
  


* * *

  
  


Chat Noir landed silently on a rooftop, the cloudy night doing wonders to keep any light from coming from the night above. He scanned the scenery and his ear twitched when he heard a scream. He slowly got up, before running, vaulting over rooftops, the lights from Paris reflecting on his baton and the metallic soles of his shoes. After a minute of running, he landed on the edge of a building and looked down. In an alley were three people that he could directly see, a pan taking a woman hostage and putting a gun against her temple, while the other seemed to be trying to placate the first one. Chat noir narrowed his eyes and allowed them to focus, taking in the scene momentarily. The hostage and her companion were a bit too muscled and calm-looking for the other man to have managed to overpower them and, in the current climate, it was better safe than sorry. The superhero opened his baton discreetly and called one of his teammates as the other landed next to him. Finally, the call connected and Morpho Bleu answered.

"A few meters away from me. Hostage situation, held at gunpoint, but I'd like to request a check." Chat Noir asked as Honeybee hummed.

"On it." Morpho Bleu closed his eyes for a moment and took a steady breath. The situation down there didn't seem to degenerate, and this was another warning sign on Chat Noir's tally. "Nervousness, anticipation, a lack of terror from the hostage, and a hint of murderous intent. I wouldn't say it's a certainty but..." The butterfly hero trailed off.

"It's probably a setup." Honeybee concluded. "So, O wise and mighty butterfly leader, what do we do now?" She smiled teasingly.

"Hmmm..." The butterfly deliberated. " In this case, since there's a gun, there's only one option, really." He said.

"We send in the Bee?" Chat Noir completed the sentence, and Morpho Bleu nodded.

"We send in the Bee." he confirmed as Honeybee got her spinning top and hooking her finger inside of it as the item began spinning. She then jumped off the ledge and as she fell, energy gathered inside of the item, readying a venom that she unleashed against the hostage taker as she landed behind him. She swiftly took the gun, pressing on the button in the handle to eject the magazine, which she pocketed, before turning to the possible criminals, smiling at them.

"Hi there, sorry for being late, I was trying to figure out how I was going to land without that one's trigger finger getting twitchy." She chirped as the other two laughed nervously, the woman holding onto the man's arm and her hand steadily reaching behind his back while Honeybee was ostensibly zip-tying the hostage taker while making small talk. From his vantage point, Chat Noir's enhanced sight noticed it and he immediately charged a catastrophe. Just a little bit more time, wait until her posture shifted to accommodate the next shot... There! 

Time seemed to slow and freeze as he made his choice. He slammed his palm against the rooftop, a crackling line of black energy he knew was only visible to him arcing on the concrete and running worn the building, weaving through the legs of the people down there and latching onto the woman, climbing up her leg and torso, rushing through her arm to finally settling in her hand. Time's course resumed and the woman violently spasmed, her finger accidentally clenching on the hidden gun's trigger and a shooting noise could be heard as the man screamed and fell onto the ground. 

Honeybee immediately grabbed the woman's free arm and twisted it before shifting and kicking her behind the knee, forcing her arms behind her back as she tied her up too, then turned to the injured man. Chat Noir picked up the sounds of windows opening underneath him and grabbed onto the ledge, soles against the wall, as he observed the situation. Two windows, three shooters, a single room. With one arm, he swung himself in the direction of the window with one shooter and let go, falling until he grabbed onto the windowsill and the shooter's arm, propping himself up and throwing the criminal into his partner's awaiting arms. Not wasting any time, he propped one end of his baton against the window, set it to quick expansion and ducked under the metal pole as it shot and pushed one of the remaining two away, giving Chat Noir the second he needed to get to the third one, grabbing his gun before kicking him out of the second window. A clicking noise had his ear twitch and he ducked under the first shot by the second shooter, closing the gap and disarming the last man. 

Chat Noir put a finger to the earbud he wore and activated his communicator, eyes landing on a strange case. 

"Room's clear but I think there's a bomb." He whispered as he slowly dragged the man out and dropped him out of the window as he stepped back to crouch on the windowsill, ready to jump if anything twitched the wrong way.

"Got it, calling the police." Honeybee said. "Anything of note?" She asked, and Chat Noir gave the room another look.

"Nothing. the room is empty save for the case."

"Police say E.T.A. is five minutes. I'm going to recharge, keep me updated." His partner said and Chat Noir prepared himself for the wait.

Six minutes and twenty seconds later, the door to the room was broken down and Chat helpfully pointed the case to the law officers. the team busied itself around it for a while, the Cat Hero had another catastrophe at the ready to jam the mechanisme if need be, and need there was. He jumped down the windowsill and casually walked up to the group, looking over their shoulders.

"What is this one made of?" He asked idly, preparing his ability as the man told him the composition. Hmmm, a tricky one for sure. "Think you can point me where I need to work my magic?" He wagged his finger, and the explosives experts snorted.

"Think we'll have a better shot at making it explode up in the air with the time we've got, Catman. This one's a big one." 

"It's _Chat Noir_ , thank you very much." The hero corrected, before making grabbing motions at the bomb and grabbing his baton.

  
  


* * *

"...And that's where Chat Noir climbed to the top of the Eiffel tower, jumped on his pole, made it extend until he was above the clouds and threw the case there to explode!" Adrien, currently wearing a Chat Noir colored knitted pullover, was gushing to Nino, who was smiling wryly and shaking his head. By now he knew better than to rely on Alya's analysis of things to try and discern the situation. In fact, he decided to give up on it entirely and roll with the basic facts. He rolled his shoulders trying to get rid of the stiffness in them. On one hand, all that training helped a lot to get fit, on the other his entire world was in pain more often than not. He still wondered why he of all people was scouted to join the new division that was all about handling the supers, but he wasn't going to be looking at a gift horse in the mouth. He'd need much more than that, even...

"Oh my, and you haven't managed to calculate the payload yet?" On Adrien's other side, Marinette giggled mischievously. "Adrien, it's been  _ over 24 hours _ !" she exclaimed exaggeratedly as the boy blushed. Yeah,  _ blushed _ . 

Now, Nino long decided that he'd be the best bro he could be, and that included keeping Adrien from getting murdered by an Angry Felix. Therefore, for the sake of his bro, he did his level best to keep Adrien from realizing that he was growing a crush on his own brother's girlfriend which was...  _ Yeah _ . He thanked the heavens for Juleka, she was the best out of all of them when it comes to creating distractions.

They were headed towards Marinette's house to work on a physics project, the girl looking like death was going to take her at any moment when she learned this project would be worth half of this trimester's grade and Adrien happily volunteering himself to be her tutor since Felix was busy which meant... Yeah... Adrien and Marinette in a room  _ alone in relatively close proximity _ . Nobody needed that kind of drama. Then, Nino's eyes looked at the alley and he groaned internally.

As if summoned by the thought of Drama, Lila Rossi appeared, her hair left down and foregoing her tied bangs entirely. She looked... Better. Better than she'd been in years, and this was the first warning Nino got that something was very,  _ very  _ wrong with her. She walked in their direction, not even sparing a glance at Adrien and Marinette, her gaze focusing on Nino instead.

"Hi Nino~ Looking good here!" She smiled at him and he felt ice crawl up his spine, hot red anger churning in his gut. Normally, Nino was a chill guy, but in this world there were three people he despised more than anything else. Gabriel Agreste, who was Adrien's dad, Hawkmoth AND Chat noir's dad at the same time, meaning he got thrice the amount of spite, Lila Rossi, for essentially ruining everything good he ever had,  _ especially  _ Alya, and finally himself. He crossed his arms and glared at her.

"What do you want?" He answered, and the girl giggled, a hint of condescension in her expression.

"Oh, don't give me that, I'm not here to bother you during your Nth session of self-flagellating, I just figured that I'd say hi, catch up a bit, try to check if you've f _ igured it all out  _ yet or if only Hawkmoth did~ I hear Alya's come up with the _ most interesting  _ theory recently!" She clapped her hands happily and the trio froze. Alya wasn't someone anyone in the class liked to talk about, be it because of the trauma of the attacks, the fact she disappeared, or that she was known to be a criminal...

"How the  _ hell  _ would you know about that." He forced himself to stay relaxed and the girl laughed.

"Oh, so you  _ did _ , good, good, it's interesting that you chose this side then, but you've never been that wise~" Nino had no idea what the hell she was going on about, but refused to show it. After all, if there was one thing Lila liked to do, that was gloating, so he'd know soon enough anyways. Lila's expression turned deadly serious. "L _adybug killed Hawkmoth_." She said, and Nino felt as if all air had been forcefully taken out of his lungs. " Ladybug killed Hawkmoth, and they're hunting the rest down one by one." She flipped her hair and walked past Nino, whispering to him. "A wolf is hiding among the seven sinners and they won't stop until this world is destroyed. Figured you'd like to know." 

Nino turned around, eyes wide and he called out to the girl, running after her, but she crossed a corner and when he reached her, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Nino... Are you okay?" Adrien asked, concerned, while Marinette was staring at where Lila was with an unreadable gaze. The capped young man shook his head.

"Just Lila being Lila. Sorry, I let her get to me. So, what was that about a bomb?" He asked, changing the subject, and Adrien immediately pounced on a chance to gush on his favorite heroes. On the inside though, Nino's thoughts were racing. On one hand, Lila could be lying. She was really good at that, and he promised himself he wouldn't believe anything she said anymore. On the other, Lila hadn't spoken to him in years, and outright  _ ignored  _ Adrien and Marinette, the two current targets of her obsession... He sighed. Looks like his bad feelings all of last year were finally justified. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst and all that...

  
  


* * *

  
  


"She said what?" Felix' frown narrowed as he was typing on his tablet, trying to fix the latest mess the delivery company had caused in regards to the expected fabric deliveries. Plagg was lounging nearby with a small glass of wine and a plate of camembert under a small glass bell to keep the smell contained. Marinette repeated what Rossi said word for word, before coming back to what worried her.

"She said something about seven sinners and the world ending and that Gabriel was one of them, but Felix, she had no way of knowing we made wishes too!" Marinette's voice sounded worried. " There were seven of us that made wishes, so I assume those are the seven sinners, but I don't know how  _ Lila  _ of all people would know!" The blond sighed, too distracted to do his job.

"She may not, but Gabriel would. The question here being whether it was only TIkki's mind games or if something is indeed going on. Either way, we can't afford to act rashly for now. Confirmation that Lila and Alya are working together is already bad enough, if Giulietti knows about the Miraculous, with Alya under his thumb, we're all in danger." He said bluntly." He probably has some suspicion about Adrien, and your identity as Multimouse is out in the open. There are chances he sent Lila to check out if his theories are correct.”

"I can't believe the Mafia would recruit Lila. She didn't even advertise that she had the turtle." Marinette sighed, and Felix nodded in agreement.

"Thank Alya for that. I still have no idea of where she has hidden her miraculous, so I can't afford to throw her out as I do not know what is the contents of Gabriel's will is yet."

"Considering the person in charge of this is in Giulietti's pocket, probably nothing good. Now that I think about it, there's a chance he was behind the assassination, too..."

There was a lull in conversation.

"With Alya active, there is nothing we can do for now, but be cautious and keep our cards close to our chest. Especially with how wildly her curse is acting right now." Felix finally said.

"I  _ hate  _ not knowing what's going on..." Marinette grumbled. "Stupid Alya causing criminals to pop out of the woodworks like daisies in spring..."

"Indeed." The blond agreed. "Want to pass by my flat after you finish your patrol? Your mother told me your grandmother was visiting your home."

" _ Thank you. _ " Marinette's exhausted voice made him laugh. It seemed Gina hadn't yet realized Marinette was eighteen now. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Tomorrow would he Heroes’ day, Luka hummed happily as he was going back home after his classes, Paris' snow-covered streets looking somewhat ethereal as the moon shone over them. He had a good, if tiring day, but he was making great strides towards getting able to provide people psychological help as Blue Morpho!

As he entered the street, another set of feet made the snow crunch behind him..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, people talking about cliffhangers last time, so I'm putting one here for TRUE cliffhanger suffering!
> 
> * Insert noises of Ori freaking out as she notices this story has a TvTropes page here and has no idea how it came to be but is too busy panicking because it makes this fic look like SEERIOUS BUSINESS: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/OneStepBackwardsAndThreeForwards *
> 
> Now then...
> 
> * cracks mental neck *
> 
> * cracks mental fingers *
> 
> Now it's time to die on those action scenes. *turns on the Metal Gear Rising Revengeance soundtrack*


	20. Frenzy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of a long, *long* night. The Goon Squad is introduced to the Chloémobile, Luka has a fated encounter and Felix is clearly not paid enough for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings : Profanity and Gory descriptions at the end.

In a small cozy café, two men were nursing their drinks, pondering on deep questions.

"So, like, where's Chlo'?" Claude Haprèle asked, nursing his triple chocolate, half cream, marshmallow and whipped cream covered coffee. In front of him, Gavroche Kanté eyed his drink with disgust, a plain coffee with one sugar in front of him.

"Self-defense class." He answered, taking a sip of his drink.

"You mean, the self-defense class, or the  _ self-defense  _ class?" The other man insisted.

"The one that will see me have to bail Juleka and her out for actual homicide." Gavroche sighed, throwing a mournful look at the clock.

"Oh." Was all Claude said.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Luka was smiling outside and panicking inside. Now, he didn't have his memories from the time before, since that would involve Marinette giving him the snake Miraculous and using a specific spell from the Miraculous Book and Felix and her outright hissed when he suggested using it, but he could recognize a pattern when he heard it. Empty alley at night? Check. Luka owned a Miraculous and was alone? Check. Someone was following him? Check again. 

With all of that in mind, he decided to resort to the Claude school of thinking. Things are bad? Use humor. Things are  _ really  _ bad? Use ham and hope it'll throw off your opponent hard enough for him to either kick them in the teeth or run away. Taking that into account, the first step was to reach into his pocket and press the emergency button the paranoid duo insisted he carry with him at all times. Now though, that also meant that their paranoia was justified. How embarrassing. With that done and rescue on its way, he was going to have to stall for time. 

He hoped it was Lila, she was easy enough to deal with, even on a bad day, but he had a feeling he wouldn't be that lucky tonight. In this particular situation, he decided to channel his Inner Claude to rattle the woman. He may not be as good an actor as the comedian or Felix, but he's known the latter for years and the former his entire life, he was bound to have picked up a trick or two.

"What a nice night to not get mugged~." He sighed in fake happiness and kept walking. Soon enough, he reached the end of the alley and found a group of men barring his way. They wore suits and he could see holsters peeking from underneath their jackets. Great. He kept up his oblivious face and tried walking past them, but they shifted to bar his road. "Anything I can help you with, gentlemen?" He asked, estimating that around two minutes had passed since he pressed the button.

"Yes,  _ Blue Morpho _ . You can hand over your Miraculous and we'll all go on our own way." A female voice said from behind and he turned around to see a burly man, carrying a phone on video call. In the video, Alya Césaire was sitting at a desk, her wavy hair cut to the shoulder, glasses traded for thinner, square ones, and wearing a very expensive-looking suit.

"Wow Alya, not even a hello? Following in Lila's steps of stabbing little old me to death in random alleys?" His humor turned into sarcasm as he looked at the phone, utterly unimpressed. "If that's the case, sorry to disappoint, I don't have it on me. Safety measure, in case, you know, Lila gets bright ideas again and takes a shot at stabbing me twice." It wasn't an exaggeration either. Save for Felix, as far as Luka knew, Marinette allowed no one to keep their Miraculous for more than 24 hours at a time. Besides, Nooroo didn't boost his physical capabilities, so if he got caught with him, Luka would still be defenseless, since using oneself as a champion was too risky after what happened with Multimouse, so push comes to shove, Luka preferred to be the only one caught.

"We'll see." Her expression closed off. Oh, so he touched a nerve here, was that trouble in paradise he smelled? "Check him!" She ordered, and the men behind began doing just that. As he was rolling his eyes, he noticed a flash of white above the alley. Hmmmm....

"You know Alya, if you wanted to see some guy on guy action, you could have at least invited Claude or Felix, I'll have you know that I have a type." He nodded seriously while Alya looked at him in disbelief. The men checking him froze, and some looked all too eager to let go of him. He had to actively bite back a laugh. The white flash appeared again, and now Luka was sure it wasn't his imagination. He heard Alya sigh.

"I didn't think this was going to be easy, but this one's taking the cake. Sorry Luka, I can't have you warn LB." She seemed to be sincerely regretful, though Luka thought it rather hypocritical of her, and his inner Claude, who was currently driving this vehicle, decided to make it known.

"That's rather hypocritical of you to talk about regrets when you jump to the kill instead of abduction and blackmail. Don't lie to yourself by pretending you don't have any other choice Alya, you just want to get rid of all the former Miraculous holders hoping that one day, you'll stop checking every dark corner in fear of Ladybug. Ah, well, I suppose them's the breaks." Luka looked at her and winked with a wide smile. "Last words, last words..." He thought about it, before snapping his fingers in realization. Snow in a big city in the dead of the night with very probable murder either way, there was only one option here! "Tell me, my friend, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

As he spoke those words to an utterly befuddled Alya, a massive amount of snow came from the rooftop, accompanied by the ringing of metal and the alley was filled with powdery white. When the criminals could see again, Luka Couffaine had disappeared.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Chloe slammed the door open to announce her arrival, followed by Juleka, who looked around lazily as the idiot duo had just finished their drinks. The blonde looked at them seriously.

"You have one minute to get your things in order. We're going." She said and, feeling something was wrong with the situation, the two scrambled to do as she said, while the blonde was making a call. The four rushed out do see a group of people circling the building, with Chloe's protection detail about to intercept them. The young woman bit her nail, scowling. 

"Darn it, they're already here. Screw it, jumping to plan C. _To the car,_ losers!" She shouted, running to a very bulky and intimidating black SUV-like monster of a car and digging something from her bag, unlocking the vehicle. The group looked at each other then scrambled in as the car's engine started working. Next to Chloe was Juleka, while the boys sat behind, the blonde seething as she put her hands on the wheel. She crushed the accelerator and the car roared as it took off. 

"Couffaine, call your girlfriend, they're targeting all the people related to the superheroes!"

"But why m-" The goth woman paled as Chloe interrupted.

"Shut  _ up  _ Couffaine! Your brother is Morpho Bleu, Agreste is Chat Noir and Dupain-Cheng was Dame Papillon, get over it and make that stupid call!" The blonde roared as she brutally turned the wheel, causing the vehicle to take a sharp turn to the right, barely avoiding collision with a car that came from the opposite direction.

"They  _ what _ ?!" Claude squealed, thoroughly crushing his backseat comrade as he found himself pressed to the opposite side by the sudden turn. 

"Put on your freaking belt Haprèle it I'm throwing you into the Seine!" The irate blonde growled, trying to shake off their tail with increasingly wild manoeuvers.

The car weaved through the streets of Paris until, far ahead....

"Uh, Chloe? Chloe, whatever you’re thinking about, don't do it!" Gavroche, face paler than usual and with a green tint, said upon noticing the barricade of cars awaiting them. Juleka was busy on her phone, trying not to expel her dinner. 

"Alright _bitches_ , that's how you're gonna play it? Very well,  _**let's play**. _ " Chloe grinned savagely with all the spite and rage she was capable of, flicked a lever that definitely shouldn't be there, and floored the accelerator.

  
  


* * *

  
  
Chat Noir was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, his earbud picking up on many emergency calls. It seemed that for tonight Paris would be up in flames. He was taking down his third band of thugs when he noticed some singing echoing into the night. Under the flickering light of the street crossing train tracks, Lila Rossi was jumping from light spot to light spot and from where he was, he could see she had a bracelet that looked a lot like the Turtle Miraculous. Even from here Chat Noir could see that she looked quite... Unhinged. Her smile was wide, plainfully so, and her gestures were uninhibited, each of them dragging her body along as if they made her lose her balance. His fake ears lowered, his paranoia rose and he grimly realized that whatever she was up to, it certainly wouldn't be any good. In fact, he was fairly sure that she was out here to help with Alya's plan, whatever it was, so why was she just standing there, doing essentially nothing overtly violent when the entire city was devolving into chaos and open war?

" _ Ninna nanna, ninna oh, questo bimbo a chi lo do? _ " She was singing, twirling around as she was jumping to another pool of light, as if she were on an ice rink. " _ Ninna nanna, ninna oh, questo bimbo a chi lo do? _ " 

As Chat landed behind a wall to remain hidden in the darkness, he heard the sound of wind and looked back at her. She indeed was wearing the turtle miraculous and had activated it. Her arms were extended on her sides as she began walking, like an equilibrist on a rope. 

" _ Se lo do alla Befana me lo tiene una settimana. _ " her hands and body leaned to the right and she pirouetted again. Chat Noir.. No, Felix took a deep, calming breath, before the bad thoughts could begin clouding his judgement. Whatever beef he had with that insane woman, it had to wait until her threat was neutralized. He inched closer to her, confident that she hadn't seen him yet. Her singing was echoing in the empty street, and only now did ne notice that it was odd, seeing as it should be busy at this date and hour. But no, it was silent, empty, and the only lights came from those lamp posts.

" _ Se lo do al al Bove Nero me lo tiene un anno intero. _ " The madwoman continued with her unnerving singing, and Chat Noir looked around him. No more shadows and buildings, he'd have to go in. Once more, he regretted that he didn't ask Marinette for the Fox tonight, Trixx would have been a great help here. He would have to go in. Preparing himself, he walked back to the edge of the building, then sprinted forward and jumped. As he appeared into the light, Lila's eyes widened and she pounced forwards, narrowly avoiding Chat Noir's original kick, but the baton he extended caught her in the midsection, sending her rolling in the dirt. Still, she got up easily and just giggled.

" _ Se lo do al Lupo Bianco me lo tiene tanto tanto. _ " Her singing felt like mockery to the hero's ears, and the empty street's unnerving silence didn't help any. Still, he knew better than to try and talk to her, she was too far gone, in many ways, to be reasoned with. In the distance, the faint sound of a train's horn could be heard, getting nearer. Chat Noir's eyes narrowed as the vehicle moved closer and closer, Lila's insane grin not lessening.

" _ Ninna nanna, nanna fate il mio bimbo addormentate! _ " She raised her arms, as if she was cheering for something, and stepped back in front of the train. Chat Noir's eyes widened as he realized what she was aiming for, but it was too late.

"Shellter!" Lila screamed, and a dome appeared around her, the train crashing and bouncing off it, jumping out of its rails with a deafening screech before continuing its maddened race down, down into Paris' busy streets. The hero looked at the woman, who was winking coquettishly from under the dome, before raising her hands and lifting six fingers. Then she lowered a finger, leaving her with a closed fist, and with her open hand, she waved Chat Noir goodbye. The hero gritted his teeth and jumped on the train's tail to find a way to stop it and, throwing one last look at her, he saw her bowing down theatrically to an unseen audience, walking backwards as if exiting a stage.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Luka felt himself being dumped rather unceremoniously in the snow by his savior, but turning around, he realized why. His stomach churned at the sight of the boat, his home, going up in flames.

"..." His savior had no words either, though she pointed in a direction. Luka looked at her in incomprehension, then he heard the voices. Aggressive, frantic, unknown. Likely to be more people after him.

"You want me to run?" He asked, and his savior nodded. From where he was, he couldn't get a good look at her and only noticed three things. First was that she was wearing entirely white, the other was her black ponytail, the last was she was wearing an Asiatic costume, with a katana fastened to her obi sash. Luka winced then nodded. 

"Take care." He said and ran. After all, he was a squishy human and would be of absolutely no help in the ensuing gunfight. Running and pressing Honeybee on his contact list, he found himself praying for the new Fox' safety.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The less than legal additions that Chloe's car possessed ensured that it jumped over the barricade, surprising the criminals. In the car itself, however....

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Claude had abandoned a dignity he didn't know he owned and screamed with all the air available to his theater-trained lungs, holding onto Gavroche, whose air supply was steadily decreasing, both because of his friend's arms strangling him and because he, too, was screaming in terror as he couldn't feel the seat underneath him, instead floating in the air for a moment as the car commenced its descent. 

"SHUT UP HAPRELE!" Chloe shouted shrilly, eyes still on the road and hands firmly on her wheel, but thoroughly disheveled, her ponytail floating in the air behind her.

"Woah..." Juleka simply said. That was the first time she got to be in an action movie...

"I DON'T HEAR YOU ON THE PHONE,  _ COUFFAINE _ !" The furious blonde cut through her neighbor's amazement and violently yanked on the wheel as the vehicle spun out of control because of the water and snow mixing on the street. The back of the car hit a wall, forcing it to a stop and sending Claude careening against the other door. Chloe pushed her hair out of her face while Juleka tried to rub her now red and bleeding forehead, a slight crack on the window next to her. The blonde gave one look at the rear view mirror and growled. 

"Better your seatbelt on Haprèle, because it looks like _ round two's starting. _ " She checked the controls, then restarted the car and accelerated once more into the blessedly empty street.

" _Kill me..._ " The actor moaned, obeying this time and, as he fastened his belt and the car roared by attaining max speed again, a train suddenly jumped from its tracks and began careening in their direction.

"HAPREEEEEEEEELE!" Chloe screamed with the fury of a thousand disheveled ponytails while the man's screaming reached higher levels.

"I WAS JOKING! OH MY GOD WE'RE GOING TO _ DIE _ !" THe actor shouted while his companion's brain was in need of more and more oxygen. Juleka's calm was cracking and her eyes widened, while Chloe's jaw was set stubbornly.

"Oh  _ HELL  _ no, I'm not getting done in by a _ FUCKING TRAIN _ OF ALL THINGS!" She pushed the lever to its maximum level and sped up towards the train. "YOU HEAR ME YOU STUPID TIN CAN?! _CHLOE BOURGEOIS NEVER BACKS DOOOOOOOOOOWN!_ " 

"CHLOE STOP!" Juleka finally screamed, trying to get the blonde to veer off course, when they saw a flash of black and the car suddenly flipped, flew once more through the air and its tires made contact with the train's roof, causing it to speed up once more above it in a terribly unsteady drive. Chloe looked at the mirror once more and her expression was deformed with fury, she opened her window and leaned into it, everything above her waist now outside and whipped by the wind. 

" _FUCK YOU_ AGRESTE! I DIDN'T NEED YOUR HELP!" From where he was, Gavroche would see that she had lifted both her middle fingers at something behind them and Juleka jumped to keep the steering wheel steady while Chloe, who had clearly lost it, was hurling profanity after profanity after Felix.

"CH-CH-CH-CHLOE! CHLOE _ THE CAR _ !" The goth's teeth chattered because of the vibrations and the blonde came back in, glasses lost and hair now untied, slapped Juleka's hands away and pressed the button on the lever, causing the car to jump once more as they reached the quickly-falling end of the train. There was an instant of terrifying weightlessness and they finally landed on the train tracks, then skidded on the street, to finally crash against a lamppost.

Chloe Bourgeois immediately got her phone and a mirror, beginning to salvage the mess that her appearance became while the call went through.

"If you want to vomit, do it outside or I  _ will  _ make you swallow it back." She said in a very calm, almost conversational tone, while the three other occupants of the now-ruined car rushed to get out. Soon the noises of dinners being liberated filled the air and Chloe closed her compact. Sighing. " Why does no one around me have  _ class _ ?" She bemoaned.

  
  


* * *

After making sure her appearance was neat and in order, she made the calls to many relevant people, while Claude was theatrically hugging the snow-covered ground, Gavroche was on his back, looking at the sky and wondering out loud how this was his life, while Juleka unsteadily walked to the nearest building.

"Need medicine... My stomach..." She moaned and Chloe rolled her eyes. Seriously, how was she surrounded by weaklings.

"You are all  _ ridiculous _ !" She exclaimed, stomping to the door and opening it. "Hello, sorry to bother you, we need your...  _ Oh _ ." She interrupted herself. Her head then peaked back outside, towards the rest of the group and with utter seriousness, she said. "We might have a bit of an issue here."

" _ Whyyyyyyyy _ ...." Gavroche groaned while Claude slowly got up.

"Issue, as in 'getting held at gunpoint' or 'nobody home' ? " He asked as Chloe was trying to keep Juleka from entering.

"Issue as in I'm hesitating between 'serial killer' or 'ritualistic murderer' on the loose." Juleka finally slipped under Chloe's arm and saw, under the gloomy lighting, the lifeless form of Lila Rossi suspended in the air by many cables tied to various parts of her body, making her look like a grotesque marionette. All around on the walls, ceiling and floor, words were written in something that looked and smelled suspiciously like blood. Claude and Gavroche immediately rushed in, although the boys both turned even paler, while Juleka looked about ready to faint. Looking at the room more closely, corpses were strewn everywhere and looked to have been drained for enough blood for the writings. All the writings were identical saying ' _ Niente è Reale _ ' while on the wall behind Lila, just above her head, One word stood out among all others. 

**'** **_Gula_ ** **'.**

The door slammed shut behind them, making them jump and Lila's frame trembled slightly, the woman's shadowed head turning around itself like an owl's, or, in this case, as if it had been twisted several times. Once, twice, thrice, until it bobbed down one last time and fell to the ground with a sickening meaty sound accompanied by Claude's screams. Gavroche closed his eyes praying and Juleka unsteadily grabbed a chair to sit on it.

  
"O-Okay... This is freaky. As hell. But we need to keep a cool head and-CHLOE STOP  _ POKING  _ THE DEAD BODY!" The man's stressed tirade turned into an exasperated shout and Chloe looked up at him from where she was crouching, poking at Lila Rossi's face, frozen in a manic, demented grin that had been duct taped on her face. The blonde looked at the head, then at him, and pouted.

On the empty wrists and the bloodied floor, the Turtle Miraculous was nowhere to be found...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I stalled long enough. 
> 
> In this chapter, you have Chloe who's too angry to get scared, Felix versus Jok*cough* Lila, aaaaand some deserved(?) demise.
> 
> ...
> 
> So, about Ryuuko, uhhh, idk how to tell you so instead I'm throwing Ninjagami at you guys instead and run away!
> 
> ...
> 
> Next chapter is supposed to have Kagami as a major pov. Oh god. Gods of Fanfiction give me strength, lest I write it badly and get smited by the fury of hundreds of Kagami stans.


	21. Snowy Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team's Ninja finally gets some screentime, Chat Noir can't get a break, and Chloe causes even more property damage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Idk, some description of corpses I guess? some spooky shenanigans?  
> Here, have a Ninjagami picture hours after the update because clearly sleep isn't a thing that exists... https://raspecea.tumblr.com/post/638002564973166592/the-ninja-herself-to-celebrate-her-debut-in-act

Once Luka disappeared from view, Zenko looked around, before gracefully jumping on a deserted stall's roof, bouncing off a streetlamp and finally landing on a rooftop. As she did so, she brought her flute to her lips and played a slight, haunting melody, a ball of wispy white light coming from its opening and hitting the street. The illusion was subtle, hiding the real foot tracks in the snow and replacing them by a fake set that led to a nearby alley, but this would be enough. She dismissed her transformation, seeing as the illusion would stand until it was either touched or dispelled, and Kagami gave some food and a small vial to Trixx. Leaning forwards and absentmindedly musing she should get a haircut as her hair brushed against her collarbone, she took off her bag and cleaned some snow, putting a few items on the concrete. Zip ties, a roll of steel cable, a few portable speakers, her phone, a Taser and a bag of small smoke bombs. Her eyes turned to the fox, who gave her an approximation of a thumbs up, and the girl nodded.

"Trixx, let's pounce." She murmured as she crept away from the rooftop's edge and, in a flash of white light, Kagami left place to her Zenko persona. Her hair was slightly longer and raised in a high ponytail, while her hairclips disappeared, leaving her hime cut fall over her mask and cheeks. She wore a sleeveless white Kimono top, fastened by a similarly white obi, the Fox Miraculous dangling from her obijime. Around her arms were fastened detached Kimono sleeves in which she began stashing her tools and underneath it all, she wore a white bodysuit with black accents that ran along the sides of her arms and legs, covering her soles and the undersides of her hands, while on her face was the top half of a white Japanese fox mask with black markings to hide her identity. She leaned discreetly over the edge and saw that the men had arrived, looking around to find them. As they were all investigating the other side of the street, she reached into her sleeve and let go of a speaker, then fastened her phone to her hip with the appropriate program already open, then slowly walked away in the opposite direction and pressed the button. A light, eerie laugh came from this alley that had the men look in that direction, one or two approaching. Silently, she jumped to another rooftop nearby, dropping another speaker there, as well as a smoke bomb in the street's crossing. As the white smoke invaded the area, she vaulted around the third and fourth parts of the crossing, repeating the manoeuvers. Then, taking advantage of the lowered visibility, she scattered the rest of her speakers among the men and pressed another button on her phone. Suddenly, laughter could be heard randomly in different places, the speakers alternating between on and off and their sounds echoing in the street. She threw another smoke bomb at the intersection to keep the groups separated and overviewed the situation. 

Three North, Two South, Four East, Five West, and between Five and Six in the intersection that were ready to move. Zenko circled them until she arrived on the rooftop overviewing the South Street and took a look. One of the men was making a phone call while the other was looking around, his body language indicating nervousness. The Fox heroine took a few careful steps, then jumped, landing on and knocking out the watcher while she put her hand on the caller's mouth and her arm around his neck in a choke hold. The man struggled to get free, but her enhanced strength made her too strong to shake off. Soon enough, the man fell unconscious to the ground, and Kagami put zip ties on them both, before dragging them up the rooftop, behind a chimney and facing away from the streets where the rest were. The phone the criminal was using was left there as bait, and Zenko went back to overviewing the situation, looking for another group to pick off... 

  
  


* * *

  
  


Chat Noir was currently riding a train and wondering how he'd stop that when, out of the woodwork, the bulky black monstrosity that was Chloe's batmobile came into view. The blond sighed and grabbed onto the side of the locomotive, waiting until Chloe's car was a couple seconds away from impact and activated Catastrophe, causing a temporary short-circuit in the car's system that had it flip higher than it could jump and led to the car's maddened race above the train. 

That was all well and dandy, but he still didn't know how to stop that train, seeing as Rossi used Shellter and _had_ to destroy the control panel. The blonde huffed. He had two Catastrophes left, and not enough bad luck in the train itself... He grimaced. Well, he was fairly certain that the civilians stuck in there won't mind a few injuries to prevent something worse so... 

He used his remaining charges, draining the Bad luck from his targets, and set off to work...

  
  


* * *

  
  


Three left, on high alert. Zenko looked at them, wondering how she was going to play this. If possible, she would like to avoid any bloodshed, but seeing as those were criminals sent after L-Morpho Bleu, she wouldn't be particularly torn up about it. However, the instructions she received upon receiving her Miraculous were clear. No matter what, the Fox was not to be seen, with a caveat that she may choose to reveal her existence to the other wielders allied to them. Dame Papillon told her many things, one of which being that her miraculous was known to be destroyed, in order to grant her more freedom of action. After all, no one would watch out for illusions, which would make the heroine so much more effective. It took her quite a while to adapt to that new fighting style, Kagami much preferring close and direct confrontation, but she couldn't deny that being able to 'kill' with one precise strike was also artful in its own way. Her mother certainly thought so after recovering her sight. 

All three men were armed, one with a handgun, the other with a submachine gun and the last with what seemed to be a semi automatic rifle. They were all back to back, covering each other's blind spots and Zenko thought about the situation, before hitting her palm with an open fist in realization. She didn't actually  _ have  _ to fight them off and risk discovery or injury, she had to ensure her fellow hero's safety. She sent a message to the Police and pounced away, leaving the terrorized men alone, surrounded by white smoke and the sound of laughter.

  
  


* * *

Marinette was looking at TV, waiting for Felix to finish his patrol, when the breaking news of Paris being on fire interrupted the nature documentary she was watching. Her eyebrows furrowed. She looked at the TV, then at the Chat Noir themed lingerie she was currently wearing, and her cheeks puffed angrily as she sat up on the bed. Pollen floated and patted her shoulder compassionately.

" _Darn it_." The young woman muttered darkly, before hurryingly putting some clothes on. " _Useless lumps of useless fat that keep hurting my back and I can't even get to use them because_ rrrgh!” Her voice came back to her regular levels. “I even had some of the  _ good  _ cheese and wine prepared to bribe Plagg, Pollen!" She whined.

"There there, you'll find a way around this curse eventually..." The bee sighed as Marinette braided her long hair and twisted it up in a bun , putting the comb in it to keep it in place.

"Let's try to salvage the situation of Alya's latest great idea then." She sighed. "Pollen, Buzz On." As she spoke the activation command, she turned into Honeybee and readied herself to intercept and deal with the criminals that were rampaging around when her phone vibrated on the end table. She curiously answered and it sounded like a war was taking place on the other side.

"Marinetta~!" Her grandmother shouted cheerfully. " You should have told me the nightlife in Paris was so  _ active _ ! Oh my, it reminds me of my second honeymoon with Paolo in Sicily!" Honeybee's ears popped at the sound of gunshots while she got treated with the tale of Gina’s second ex-husband’s story. " Your mother and father wanted to tell you that we're all okay, Mayor Bourgeois' protection detail arrived in time, we’re just having a bit of  _ fun  _ with the visitors and- Oh  _ no no no _ dearie, that's not how you use a pistol." There were several deafening shots, followed by the sound of broken glass and a man shouted."  _ Here's  _ how you do it. Anyways, I'll call back later, there's a few misbehaving younglings that think they can take this lady on~!" The phone call cut off and Honeybee closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then dashed for the bakery as fast as she could.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Luka was still running when Kagami caught back up to him, halfway to the Bourgeois hotel, checked if anyone could see them, and promptly picked him up, changing his pace to accommodate for his weight.

"Well, hello again!" Luka said happily while Zenko looked ahead, landing on another rooftop, continuing on their route. Seeing the scenery move around them in silence was nice. Still, silence was a bit boring, so Luka decided to break said silence, and the ice, but starting with some introductions. "Nice to finally put a face on my admirer of three years. You have no idea how glad I am that you're a cute girl instead of some weird old guy!" The Fox heroine twitched and missed her landing and they rolled on the snowy rooftop, Luka landing on top with his hands on both sides of her head. " Hi, I'm Luka, and that may sound weird, but what's your name?" He asked, positively unperturbed while the Fox heroine was still as stone.

"...Call me Zenko." She answered, then pushed the young man away and got up, dusting herself off and making snow fall around her. "We're almost here, we need to go." She said and while it was night, Luka liked to think it was a bit of a blush that darkened the skin under her mask.

  
  


* * *

Beyond the pile of dismembered corpses, a door slowly creaked open, causing Claude to whine.

"Nonononono I'm terrible with horror games, what do we do guys?!" He asked while Juleka was trying to wipe her forehead clean with some tissues.

"I think we need to go forwards..." Gavroche said dubiously. "What do those scribbles on the wall mean anyways," He looked around, unnerved.

"’ _Nothing is real_ ’ and the one behind… means ‘ _Gluttony_ ’.." Claude murmured while Chloe was buffing her nails. "I'm not sure what's going on, but i don't know if moving forward is a good idea, I mean, those aren't props, that's the real deal..."

"Yeah, but it's not as if we had any other choice." Gavroche reasoned.

"Omi _ god _ you nerds are such a bunch of _losers_." Chloe rolled her eyes and got up, approaching the entrance door and giving it a push. When it failed , she balanced herself on one foot and gave it a spinning kick, her foot extending upon hitting the wood and the door groaning under the impact. Chloe raised an eyebrow then proceeded to brutalize the door until the wood finally gave up and splintered. Another few kicks and it was broken down enough for her to get out. 

"Well? Are you going to say here or what?" She called out and the two men shared a glance, before following Juleka through the hole, finding the Blonde to be stomping away from the area.

"W-Wait Chlo, shouldn't we-" Claude tried, only interrupted by the group's leader(?)

"No, we  _ shouldn't  _ because if you were looking at the pile, you'd notice that there were at least  _ ten  _ different left feet on the pile, meaning that cultist serial killer went ahead and did the same in the other houses." The blonde huffed, phone next to her hear. "Yes Daddy, we found a serial killer on the loose and need some pickup." She paused." What do you mean ' _ we don't have police officers available _ '?" Another pause "Then use the  _ helicopter _ ! I'll leave my phone on so track the signal because I have some  _ criminals after my life _ !" She finished dramatically and ended the call, putting her phone in her pouch. "Why am I surrounded by idiots." She shook her head, sighing, and Juleka rolled her eyes, punching her side lightly. "Resorting to violence so easily Couffaine, clearly the mark of a  _ lowborn brute _ ." The blonde sniffed and walked away while the model shook her head with a wry grin. Behind them, Claude and Gavroche were having a hushed conversation.

"Is it just me or is Queen Bee bitchier than usual?" Claude looked at the heiress warily while Gavroche shrugged.

"I mean, if she wasn't, we'd probably be reenacting some kind of horror game right now so I can't say it's bad..." He trailed off.

"Hey!  _ Dumb and Dumber _ ! Stop gossiping and get your butts over here before I come and kick them into orbit!" The subject of their conversation shouted, having already gone relatively far. In the distance, they could hear some cars and gunfire. They looked at each other once more, and hightailed it behind the women.

  
  


* * *

  
  


"Climb down that ladder and you'll be at the hotel. They already are expecting you." Zenko said, pushing the Butterfly user forwards, before stepping back and jumping away, trying to calm her emotions. She was grateful to Dame Papillon for healing her mother's eyes, and she was humbled by the trust she was shown when the heroine gave her the Miraculous to keep indefinitely. The first time she laid her eyes on her, she had that odd... Feeling. Deep respect that shouldn’t have been earned on a personal level seeing as it should have been their first encounter...And yet, here it was. Dame Papillon talked to her about a battle they lost, whose price was their memories... And the life of the man Kagami loved. Love, what an odd concept. It certainly seemed like she was being led on, but Dame Papillon had done a lot of good for Paris, and she was willing to hear her out. The two of them were in costume when she carried the other to her destination, which was a boat in the Seine. There, she pointed at someone and upon looking at him, Kagami forgot to breathe as something squeezed her chest _painfully_ and she felt... Regret. That was when she asked the heroine for those memories back and learned how  _ deeply  _ she failed Lu-Blue Morpho. 

It had only been one evening, during which Rena Rouge had asked for Ryuuko's aid for a patrol. Kagami hadn't thought much of it at the time, but then, that very same night, her usual partner disappeared and was never heard of again. Learning of his fate and what came of it after temporarily being granted the Dragon Miraculous again and having the memory spell cast... Never before had Kagami felt failure so _deeply_. That was why when she was offered the Fox Miraculous by Dame Papillon, whom she now recognized as being Ladybug, with the intent of protecting L- _ Blue Morpho _ , she jumped on the occasion. Her mother was absolutely delighted when asked for advice and Kagami was put under an even more grueling regimen, although it helped her make leaps and bounds in her mastery over Trixx' miraculous. She also took and executed her surveillance and occasional spying jobs very well, but there was a small problem that embarrassed her so thoroughly that it managed to shake her usual confidence. 

Simply put, she had failed Viperion, and in her family, there were no second chances, which was why she felt that she didn't have the right to walk besides him, however much she wanted to. This... May have led to some unscheduled patrols. _Just for his safety_ , she would protest, but neither her mother nor Trixx were fooled. And now, she learned from the boy she liked, who also _ just so happened  _ to be an empath, mind you, that he was well aware that she had essentially been stalking him - _for his own protection!_ \- all along and told her so. How embarrassing. The beeping of her communicator brought her back from her musings and she pressed on her earbud to answer.

" _ Zenko, I'm going to need your help-eeep! _ " Honeybee's voice reached her ears. " _ There's a sentimonster rampaging around and I can't deal with it alone! _ "

"On my way." The Fox user answered, heading towards the coordinates provided to her. A few minutes there, she stopped, taking in the situation. A massive, building-sized creature, akin to a three headed dog, was running wild in the streets hurtling against building and all-around trying to destroy everything in its way. "I'm here, ready when you are."

"Careful, it has a snake tail that multiplies when you cut it and tries to bite you if you get too close. It's carrying its possessed item between its shoulders but I don't know  _ why _ !" Honeybee added and she saw a yellow and black spot jump from a building. "Venom in 5, get ready!"

Zenko nodded silently and jumped closer to her target, one of the snake tails lunging at her. She ducked underneath it, unsheathing her blade and slicing her target in two easily, only for another pair of snakes to appear in its stead. She cut one and used the other as a ramp for her to run towards the creature and, as a multitude of them lunged at her from all directions, the entirety of the creature froze, allowing Zenko to jump from snake head to snake head in order to land on the creature's back. On it was a plain black cufflink, tied to the beast with a thin string. She immediately sliced the string in two and grabbed the cufflink before it could fall away. 

"I'll get it to Chat Noir, we need to have his Kwami destroy the feather before Venom runs out. Blue Morpho arrived at the Mayor's hotel, right?" Zenko nodded. "Then try to track down Chloe's group. My family has already been rescued and the Agreste Manor is on lockdown, they're trying to get the rest of my classmates to be sure." Honeybee spoke quickly, already gliding away using her spinning top and catching the cufflink her fellow hero threw at her. Then, Zenko disappeared among the white rooftops once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are wondering, Zenko are benevolent foxes associated with the god of prosperity , Inari Okami. Inari's foxes are also noted ot be pure white. I figured Kitsune would be too cliché.
> 
> I didn't really know what to say about this chapter so have what I commented instead.
> 
> DARNIT KAGAMI LET ME WRITE YOU!  
> * several hours later, laptop turns off without warning * REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE  
> NINJAGAMI!  
> Being Felix ‘can’t get a break’ Agreste is pain, news at eleven.  
> Ninjagami taking to being a creepy little fox like ducks takes to water…  
> Marinette’s grandma gonna have some ‘splaining to do.  
> Luka’s been Channeling Claude too much, it’s rotting his brain processes. Someone stop him before he starts hitting on Kagami Felix AND Marinette at the same time in public...  
> Who knew being highly trained, more than willing to break things and a veteran at horror games could apply IRL, right Chloe ?.  
> Lol, poor Kagami got distracted by Alya who was pushed to patrol by Lila the night of the murder and now she feels too guilty to dare to approach her husbando, THAT's not gonna endear the reporter to the readers...


	22. Starless Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detective Juleka is on the case, Claude is still reeling from the revelations, and nobody's gonna sleep well this night. Morning. Whatever. ESPECIALLY the wicked.

Chloe Bourgeois was strutting down the street, her ponytail bouncing and hair flying behind her like a standard. Behind her, Claude and Gavroche were bickering about something, looking conflicted about something. Next to them, Juleka observed quietly. After all, people tended to be less on guard when they thought they were alone, and her natural quietness and dark appearance did wonders for her stealth, leading her to be privy to information she by all right shouldn’t know about. 

A lot of information. 

Like the fact Miss Bustier used to be a delinquent and a bully to forget her sad home life and was then redeemed by her teacher and one of her classmates, which ended up being the cornerstone of her motivation and methodology as a teacher, the fact Miss Mendeleiev was in fact married to the sports teacher, but they were trying to hide it, or even simpler things, such as Chloe having a massive crush on Gavroche for years that for all intents and purposes was mutual. Still, that situation was... odd. Felix had let her see a few photographs of the crime scene of his father's murder, -and wasn't it telling that no one at Agreste Manor mourned for the man, except his assistant?- and she recognized a lot of common points with Lila's. First was that their limbs showed no hint of struggle, although in Gabriel's case, it was because he had been drugged. It almost looked like Lila  _ wanted  _ to be killed and allowed herself to be put up there. In the man's case, however, his expression was taped into a scowl. Considering what Juleka knew of them both, it may have to do with their attitudes in general, though this would mean that the victims knew the perpetrator, a theory reinforced by the Lila case. 

Then, there were the crime scenes themselves. The first was entirely clean, bloodless, and save for the corpse and the word on the wall, one wouldn't think about it being a crime scene. Empty, blank and sterile, while the crucifixion was a rather grandiose and solemn way of displaying the body. Once again, fitting of the man, considering what she overheard about the man from Felix and Adrien. On the other hand, Lila wanted to use other people like puppets and always had a smiling mask on her face. Besides, there were the words. Gula, the sin of gluttony, consuming in excess with no regard for limitations. Juleka could see how it applied to Lila. It wasn't so much her desire to own that spurred her, but rather the desire to use, consume and assimilate everything she could and then move on for greener pastures. What she did to the class, destroying Mylène's confidence to increase hers, using Adrien for fame, money and more contacts, fanning the flames of Kim and Alix until they turned into her attack dogs, and so on and so forth. 

On the other hand, what didn't quite make sense was the fact that Gabriel Agreste's sin was said to be Avaritia. The accumulation of goods for the sake of the accumulation itself. The killer implied Gabriel was after something, and considering how much of a recluse the man was and how he wasn't that greedy for money, Juleka made the hypothesis that Gabriel Agreste was looking for something, something that had him to come at odds with a very dangerous enemy. The seven sins was a theme, meaning there were seven intended victims, and while Juleka did suspect the Agreste Family was a possible common point, it was a bit too obvious. Lila had been up to some shady things with Alya this last year, that much was an open secret in school.

The young woman adjusted her fedora and sighed. The blonde had slowed down to match her pace, side eyeing her and looking at their surroundings, alert. Juleka nodded and went back to thinking. Now, the Alya connection looked a  _ lot  _ more promising. After all, Gabriel and Lila also had her group in common. Alya, Nino, Adrien would be obvious targets then. As for the rest... Emilie and Nathalie were definite maybes... Though, using connections as a reasoning, this meant that Felix and Marinette were also probably targets. Juleka took a breath. That led her to something the two let escape on the day of the hostage taking. Something about Paris being destroyed multiple times, but the fact no one remembered hinted that something terribly wrong happened. The couple was paranoid, on edge, and hard for everyone to come in contact with. Sometimes, it almost even felt as if, when they were in the same room, nothing else mattered save each other, and not in a good way. Juleka noticed their attitude around Luka, as if they were ready to lock him up in a tower and to throw the key. If you couple that with the fact Paris is definitely in one piece and crowded appropriately enough that it didn't  _ look  _ like a massive catastrophe depopulated it, she didn't think it too farfetched that  _ Luka  _ was their deceased teammate. Seeing Sablier at work was proof enough that superpowers could influence life and death itself. 

The cutoff point was most probably during the vacations before school started again and things heated up suddenly as several people got an...attitude change? The most obvious offender in the category was Marinette, the class' wallflower, infamous for avoiding human contact, who suddenly walked up to her and broke her curse, almost like an afterthought. Or, more accurately, as if it had already been done before. Alya became more confident, too confident in fact, and her callousness increased exponentially. Nino became more listless and withdrawn, and he steadily grew distant with his group as time passed, culminating in his spectacular breakup with Alya. Lila didn't change much, but her targets did, her focus on Marinette almost unhealthy, similar to an obsession. Even Adrien seemed to have become slightly less ‘Stepford Wives creepy robot’ and learned some human emotions. Now, if you added in what she knew of Marinette and Felix as of now, that meant all of them had high chances of being in similar situations. However, that posed the question of why they weren't brought into the fold, but considering how Marinette utterly  _ loathed  _ Lila and called Alya and Nino traitors under her breath when she was in a particularly bad mood, and the couple's paranoid, almost defeated attitude... 

Juleka had a slightly sinking suspicion that they were supervillains who  _ won _ . What they won was a mystery, but using that, if Lila was a supervillain, odds were that Gabriel was, too. That was why Juleka was now convinced that the serial killer was probably someone that remembers times pre-wipe out and, considering everything... They probably were an ally to Marinette and Felix, or at least neutral, because if they had been aiming for superpowered individuals as a rule, then by all rights Marinette would have been the first to be killed by virtue of her identity being public, though discounting the order of the kills depending on the severity of their actions would be foolish. After all, losing to the villains could be considered a 'sin' for the sufficiently deranged killer. As for the sins themselves... The goth was glad for her passing interest in religious studies and demonology before falling down the rabbit hole that were Felix' murder mystery book collection.

Juleka sighed and looked up. The moon looked lovely in this pitch black, empty night sky.

" Figured something out?" Chloe asked in a low voice, and Juleka nodded.

"Gabriel was Avaritia, Lila was Gula, Nino should be Acedia, Alya is probably Superbia. Those four I'm certain of. After that..." She trailed off, trying to slot possible characters and sins together with the facts she had and came off with an odd list."... Nathalie as Luxuria, Adrien as Invidia, and Marinette as Ira." Chloe stopped and turned to her, looking deadly serious.

"Adrikins and _ Dupain-Cheng _ ?!" She hissed, and the other woman nodded. 

"Only thing I'm not sure about would be who gets which sins, but it was what fit the most with what I had because Nathalie as Invidia, Adrien as Ira, and Marinette as Luxuria made even less sense since we all know Adrien and Mari don't indulge in those ones." She winced as Chloe looked thoughtful.

"It makes a lot more sense than what you think." The blonde muttered before shaking her head. "But seriously?  _ Adrikins _ ? I'd expect that from  _ Agreste _ ." Her voice rose with the mention of the absent blond's last name, which made the two men walking ahead turn around.

"Ah!" Claude shouted and pointed at Chloe, who stared at his index and growled.

"Keep pointing and you're going to lose that finger, Haprèle." The actor waved his hands dramatically, before hiding them behind his back.

"Sorry! I just remembered when I heard the name! What do you mean,  _ ‘Felix Agreste is Chat Noir’ _ ?!" Claude asked once more and Gavroche nodded.

"I mean no offence to our future King, but he isn't the most heroic person around..." The dark skinned man elaborated, and Chloe didn't snark back, meaning that she agreed, but answered nonetheless.

"I meant that  _ that walking jinx _ is the Black Cat. Honeybee told me, it is how it is." She flipped her ponytail as the dark haired man's jaw fell open and he pointed at Chloe, this time dramatically.

“No way! Honeybee, my goddess, why would you appear to  _ her  _ instead of your most faithful worshipper?!” He wailed in distress, ignored by the rest of the group.

"It was pretty obvious. Multimouse beats up a black cat themed supervillain and takes his ring, then suddenly an appropriately aged blond cat superhero appears not even a week later. If you think about it like that, since Mari was in a coma, it had to be Felix, he's the guy that was closest to her at the time." Juleka added, carefully not mentioning that she had been in the know practically from Day One. 

"I understand what you say, but on one hand" He puts both hands on one side as if demonstrating something. " You have Chat Noir, the pun-loving goofball ninja cat, and on the other. "His hands turned to the right. "There's Felix Agreste, the ever-grumpy sadistic overlord of Class 1-1." He said as if it explained everything. "He  _ can't  _ be Chat Noir." Claude insisted and Juleka frowned. Was it her or was he a bit too insistent on the fact?

"Why are you so insistent he isn't? So far all the facts point towards the hypothesis that he is, in fact, Chat Noir, even if you ignore Honeybee's own word on the matter." She said and the actor grinned sheepishly, scratching his right cheek.

"Ah, well, it's not  _ that _ , It's just I had this theory you know, about Chat Noir being Adrien Agreste." He trailed off when Chloe laughed.

"Adrikins? That  _ mangy cat _ ? Utterly and completely  _ ridiculous _ !" She shook her head and stomped away, clearly intent on ending the conversation here.

"Come on, let's not fall behind." Gavroche gave his friend a long suffering look and pushed him by the shoulder, and it was a pensive Juleka who closed the march , slowly pulling her own phone out of her pocket and putting it to her ear.

“Whatever you had planned, do it soon, you’re running out of time.” She said with an expressionless face, then ended the call and caught back to the rest of the group as a helicopter, driven by Chloe’s butler, steadily came down from the sky..

  
  


* * *

  
  


After making a quick pause to feed Pollen, Honeybee arrived at a rather devastated scene. A train was laying in the middle of the street, twisted as if someone flipped the front but it didn't go all the way, and more, there was a half-collapsed building laying against it, broken bricks and dust spread everywhere. People were slowly getting out of the buildings and a crowd was gathering around something. Or, more accurately  _ someone _ . She made her way through the crowd and saw her partner helping people out of the train, though his wincing and limping were obvious tells he was injured. The superheroine winced and ran to him, holding out the item.

"I'll take over; Sentimonster, less than one minute left. Go to the hotel afterwards." She said hurriedly and the blond groaned.

"Will do." He shook his head and took the amokatized item, jumping to a secluded rooftop. The yellow and black heroine steadily climbed up the train that was laying on its side, and entered through the door, slowly but surely navigating the chaotic environment, the train's lights flickering on and off as she moved. The first two wagons had already been evacuated, while the third was packed full with people. Very scared and panicked people who were harder to herd than a bunch of excited kittens. She looked up, where the windows were, and she promptly used her spinning top to jump and open the window. There, holding onto it, she began helping people up and out of the vehicle. A three headed giant sentimonster, a crazy train, mafia attacks. Nevermind her original plans, she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, was she?

Never before had she been so glad to hear her communicator vibrate. She opened her spinning top and looked as Morpho bleu appeared on screen. He looked pretty tired.

"Long night for you too?" She asked, and the blue hero laughed awkwardly.

"You can say that. All our families have been attacked and our common...  _ Nuisance _ , has decided to go lethal."  _ Did she now? _ "And her mistress went ahead and detailed a train before apparently getting offed by a serial killer." ...What.. " I've been sending butterflies around to help, Chat Noir updated me and Sablier should arrive soon to your position, so you should finish evacuating it so we can move on." He looked at his right, as if someone spoke to him, then he sighed. "Sorry, I need to go, QB just found out who you are and is trying to strangle Chat Noir with his own tail." Honeybee couldn't help a snort as the call cut off and she went back to evacuating. As she reached the last compartment, with someone who had a rather badly broken leg, she noticed the glass pane over them open and from there peeked the head of one of the most called upon original champions she made. Sablier was a woman with a white and light green bodysuit with bit, mechanical gloves and whose libs were lined with metal, forming an exoskeleton. Behind her dark green visor framed by red hair, Marinette knew that she would find green eyes.

"Do you need any help?" The woman asked, and Honeybee nodded.

"We have a broken leg here and I don't want to aggravate it, if possible." Sablier gave an acknowledging hum before grabbing a bag and letting it fall into the wagon, before dropping in.

"I'll dress that leg up while you get the rest out. I'll repair the buildings, but restoring the train without a conductor in it is just begging for trouble." The heroine and the champion worked on emptying the final wagon and got out, before Sablier raised one of her gauntlets. On it was an hourglass symbol, that the woman pressed, then twisted. As she did, the building slowly flew back to its original position, as if in slow motion, the bricks and dust reassembling, the structure repairing itself under their eyes. Or, more accurately, the structure was restored to when it hadn't been destroyed yet, and with no train to ram in it, it would stay that way. Sablier's mask glowed once more and she sighed.

"I will be going now, the police and paramedics have just arrived and I need to get to the next location.

Yeah, Marinette winced internally, Sablier was one of her most requested champions, for obvious reasons. She gave one last glance to the train, then activated her spinning top and headed towards their temporary headquarters, Le Grand Paris.

  
  


* * *

  
  


As she arrived in the hotel, she was discreetly led inside, ignoring the reporters, and was led to a scene of utter and complete chaos. Chloe had been hogtied, gagged and was hanging from the ceiling, wiggling furiously, while on a sofa nearby, Felix was sitting and reading a book. on the other side of Chloe, next to a wall, Claude was staring intently at the blond, as if trying to decipher a riddle. Gavroche was talking to.. His brother Max? She started at that and looked around. Indeed, most of her classmates and their families were here. They looked tired and scared, and some were looking rather angry in general and arguing. Her entrance, however, interrupted those, and not for the first time tonight, Honeybee had to swallow her self-consciousness.

"Honeybee!" Claude exclaimed in his usual dramatic voice, running in her direction and tripping, sailing through the air and falling flat on his face. The heroine blinked, and Felix closed his book, sighing. 

"Good evening." He said with a level tone. "The heroes are waiting upstairs with Marinette and her family for a debrief. Considering that I am... not unrelated to this case, it was decided that I should escort you and attend there." He said with a slight grimace, and Chloe screamed angrily through her gag, her legs kicking the air uselessly in rage.

"Is... Is she going to be okay?" The heroine asked hesitantly. "Shouldn't we untie her?" Chloe's screams were less loud and she nodded, glaring poisonously at the blond man.

"Yeeaaaaaah,  _ no _ ." Claude answered, sitting on the floor. "Was pretty much an unanimous decision to leave her here to cool down." She looked around and pretty much everyone was nodding. She didn't get the time to protest any further, because Felix grabbed her shoulders and pushed her towards the stairs, Chloe's increasingly angry noises slowly disappearing in the distance.

"Are your injuries okay?" She whispered and he nodded.

"Plagg is taking a nap. You're clear to detransform." He answered, and Marinette released the transformation, Pollen flying slowly around them as they entered another room. There, Marinette could see her family, the Couffaines, the Tsurugis... And Mayor Bourgeois.

"Ah, Multimouse, glad you could join us, we were beginning to wonder if you had been abducted. You just missed Honeybee." The man said and Marinette nodded slightly.

"It has been an... Interesting night." Was all she answered. What followed was a long and exhausting discussion to make sure everyone knew what had been happening. Of course, Kagami's contributions remained unmentioned and Honeybee's identity wasn't discussed, as it seems Chloe didn't tell her father who she was. Still, it was finally over, and they all retreated in rooms graciously provided by the Mayor for the night. 

Which led to Marinette and Felix, sharing a bed, with the two of them too tired to do anything but cuddle. Marinette would have raged against fortune if she weren't exhausted, as the watch Felix put on the table indicated that it was 4 A.M.

"Not going to school tomorrow..." She mumbled grumpily and her boyfriend readjusted his hold on her.

"I'm sure our teachers will forgive us this once." He whispered, his chin over her head.

"Mmmm."She hummed sleepily. "Thankfully, nothing too bad happened tonight."

Felix let a soft chuckle out.

"Indeed." The fact they were both aware of Lila's fate was rather telling.

  
  


* * *

  
  


A man walked into a dimly lit room holding a suitcase. 

"Miss Césaire, It was found at the Dupain-Cheng residence." The man said and opened his case, revealing an oval, red box with black spots.

"I see, so my hypothesis of Marinette being the guardian was correct..." The woman trailed off, a frown on her face, before reaching for the box.

  
  


* * *

  
  


"Hey... How angry do you think Alya is going to be when she realizes it's a fake?" She asked sleepily and Felix just kissed her forehead.

"Sleep now, think later." The man said, and that was that.

  
  


* * *

  
  


"There is more, Miss." The man said, and Alya rubbed her forehead, as if staving off a headache.

"Yes?" She asked, and the man produced two photos and put the first one down. Her face paled tremendously when she saw the first, where the grisly display of Lila's fate was revealed.

"Miss Rossi was found dead, and this "he put down the second photo. "Was what was found in the next room."

It was a crude, almost childlike drawing of Ladybug and Chat Noir holding hands over a rough, bloody drawing of the Ladybug symbol. Alya felt the Miraculous box groan under the strength of her grip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the Juleka and Chloe buddy cop adventure nobody asked for, just because I could. Also, Marinette's getting more ambitious with her contraband. She's lucky there isn't a law against fake Miraculous...


	23. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felix and Marinette talk about things like the adults they technically are, Plagg and Pollen have a TALK and Juleka and Chloe are beginning their investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, downtime time, have some shippy stuff with some existential crisis on top.
> 
> Trigger warning: Uhhhhh, idk? Maybe the adrinette shippers are going to murder me for my take on that, idk.

When Marinette woke up, she noticed the room was dimly lit, and that she was laying on something very warm. Her few functioning brain cells reminded her of the events of the previous night and she groaned, burrowing her head in what she realized was her boyfriend's shoulder. Bed warm, warm good, outside cold, cold bad, those were the thoughts running through her head as she was trying to fall asleep again.

"Good Morning." Felix said as she heard the sound of a page turning. "Seeing as there is a little bit of time before Lunch, I took the liberty of having room service deliver us a meal. Sorry if the noise woke you up." Marinerre hummed and wriggled a bit to get more comfortable, but the way her stomach tied itself up informed ehr she was too hungry to do so. Curse her faster than normal metabolism. she opened her eyes blearily and yawned.

"Morning." She muttered, finally taking a look around. This was one of the more expensive hotel rooms around and it really showed through the immaculate and luxurious furniture. Her gaze shifted towards the other side of where Felix was, where a tray holding several dishes under glass covers was sitting on a small trailer. The blond closed his book with a small clap and put it on his side's end table, along with his glasses, then shifted a bit to bring the food to them.

"Hmmm, doesn't taste like Mrs. Césaire's cooking." Marinette remarked as she swallowed her piece of boeuf Bourguignon.

"This would make sense, seeing as of today, the Césaire family has moved to Marseilles. They couldn't take what Alya was doing anymore and decided to leave for somewhere the Césaire name isn't widely known." He answered, categorically separating the red peppers from his paella.

"Poor Ella and Etta..." The young woman sighed, before looking at what the young man was doing. "... I'll eat those peppers if you give me your shrimps." 

"Deal." He answered instantly and the transfer was done. Marinette had to laugh inwardly. The great and terrible Felix Agreste, defeated by a handful of red bell peppers. After they ate, they enjoyed a moment of silence, the window's blinders finally opened letting the light stream into the room. Calm, quiet, which Marinette relished in because goodness last night was a bother and a half.

"Do you think we can talk?" Felix finally asked, and the young mowal looked up at him curiously.

"Rule number one of our relationship, if something happens, we have to talk about it. I will always have time for you and even if I don't, I will make it happen." She said seriously, and while it was an embarrassing rule to have in her circumstances, it was the one they always observed religiously. Her hand reached for the one that was around her waist and she interlaced their fingers.

"This... May sound out of character for me..." He warned hesitantly, and Marinette reminded herself to learn necromancy and murder Gabriel Agreste herself, because this looked like one of Felix' self-esteem issues rearing their ugly heads. " I know it isn't like me to feel indecisive about something... But I would like to apologize." The young woman looked at him blankly, mentally scratching her head to find what he had done to be sorry about. Was it about the time he ate the last macaron? That was ages ago...

"I think you should start at the beginning..." She said leadingly, and the blond nodded, avoiding her gaze.

"I always had a feeling, one that I recently realized was most probably true, that there was a problem with my existence. To begin with, I only remember part of the wish that Chat Noir had, and even then, it should have resulted in an incomplete being." Marinette's eyes narrowed slightly and paid close attention. Chat Noir's wish was the one thing Felix categorically refused to talk about no matter what, so whatever he realized, it had to have shaken him. "I... Am not Adrien Agreste. Nor am I Chat Noir."

"You prancing around in that superhero suit points to the contrary." The young woman said wryly and Felix shook his head.

"You know what I meant by that. To begin with, this world's me had a life, and a lot of anger against the world. Had I not received some fragments of Adrien's memories, I have little doubt I would have ended up being the next Hawkmoth." He admitted, and Marinette felt a chill, the words sparking some kind of recognition in her mind, but she wasn't sure what this reminded her of. 

"When I got the memories, I was confused. Why did I remember being my spineless brother? Who were you, and why did you seem so attached to me? What were those monsters and why would any version of me behave in such an... unprofessional way? When you seemed to recognize me, I panicked and relied on those memories. I realized that helping you was the perfect way for me to get back at  _ that man _ and the rest of my family and for once in my life, there was someone who really, desperately needed me and was willing to ignore my more off-putting traits, so I played along with the role that was intended of me. I... My feelings for you are real, I want you to understand that, but they are  _ mine _ , not Adrien's. Every night I dreamt of this shared past, and more and more, I told myself that this wasn't me, our values are different, and so is what we consider to be good or bad. I don't care if he considers perseverance and willingness to keep the peace good, I've seen enough in my life and his to know what this attitude of his leads to. Of course, he helped to blunt the sharpest edges of my personality, but these past years, I've been doing my best to put Adrien behind me for good. He was young, a naive, inexperienced person who grew up in an environment that left him messed up in terrible ways and _ he isn't me _ ." He insisted almost vehemently. 

"I can't lie to you about that anymore. The one who was your partner and whom you fell in love with was most likely the person who became my younger brother." He concluded with a sigh.

Marinette looked at him. His façade of self-control was completely broken, leaving the blond looking utterly... Exhausted. It must have been eating him from the inside, she realized. Then she sighed. Maybe murdering Gabriel once wouldn't be enough. She shifted around, until she was sitting on him so that he wouldn't get any brilliant ideas like running away each time he came close to admitting that he had emotions. Okay,  _ maybe  _ twice wouldn't be enough either.

"Felix. Look at me, please?" She asked and the blond did so, reluctantly. "Felix, I already knew that." The young man froze and looked at her blankly. 

"It took me precisely five minutes of seeing Adrien and you in the same room to realize that you weren't him, and I'm  _ fine  _ with that." She insisted. "Some part of me will always love Adrien a little bit, he was my first love, and I will always be grateful to him for sending you my way, but I can't deny that we weren't good for each other." Since it was confession time, might as well air it all at once and then let it end. 

"I did many things to pursue him, that I'm not proud of. I couldn't talk to him, so instead I followed him, I never managed to feel at ease around or trust him, I memorized his schedule in hopes of being able to correct that, but whenever it came down to it, I got cold feet and it frustrated me, pushing me ever farther in a direction I shouldn't have taken, and nobody even tried to stop me. It had reached a point I was chasing a fantasy in my mind that had Adrien's face pasted on it, me running after him, and him never noticing me whatever I did. A mute girl and a blind boy, that was the extent of our relationship, regardless of our feelings. Our love destroyed the world  _ twice  _ already, and isn't it telling that my wish, to be a better person, ended up with this world's Marinette not having feelings for him? That was the biggest proof I ever needed to know that, despite what everyone kept telling me, Adrien and I weren't meant to be. I'm obsessive, easily distracted, tend to overreact and have problems with expressing myself when it comes to the person I like, so my special someone needs to be someone observant who has no problems telling me what they think and feel, that's why I fell for Luka, and that's why I moved on from Adrien for you." 

"When I was crying over the fact my world ended, you were here. When I was making plans to get back at them for what they did, it didn't feel as stressful because you were there and helped me. I only made it that far because I knew I could count on you to be with me every step of the way Felix, I don't care that you're not Adrien, Master Fu may have chosen him, but you're the Chat Noir  _ I  _ chose and that's enough for me. I don't need a fantasy, I want someone to _ be here _ and  _ talk  _ to me." She raised her hands and cradled his face. 

" You were here, you  _ are  _ here, and it doesn't matter how you came to be, to me you exist and being  _ yourself  _ is more than enough." She insisted, trying to get the point across. "Falling in love with you was a choice that I made, and I never regretted it even once, Felix, no matter how frustrating not being able to fully show it to you may be. I know it sounds cruel to Adrien if you're right and you're not him, but in the end, I need my partner, and  _ you  _ were the one up to the task. Polled insisted on it every day, several times, that I should not destroy myself for anyone else's happiness, because I deserve to be happy, and so do you. I love you and you make me happy, and if this means I'm being selfish by being with you, so be it, because I think you deserve happiness  _ too _ ." She huffed, and her boyfriend of several years closed his eyes.

"I suppose it would look that obvious from your perspective." He noted, then looked at her, relieved and a little bit amused. "Though I do hope you know I disapprove of stalking, I suppose it is my turn to reassure you when it comes to our relationship." He grabbed her thighs and flipped her, leading to her being on her back and him above her. "If you are going to have an objection in the matter, I highly suggest you voice it now." He murmured, kissing the corner of her lips and, after a quick reboot of her brain, Marinette grabbed his face and enthusiastically made her opinion known.

  
  


* * *

  
  


"I can't believe I'm saying this but  _ finally _ ." Plagg exclaimed in the room above his wielder's chewing on some cheese. " If I caught them pining after eachother one more time, I'd have jinxed them into a closed room until they talked about it instead of being idiots. Stupid humans being all disgusting about gross stuff." He grumbled, while Pollen was sobbing, wiping her eyes and blowing a nonexistent nose with a small piece of tissue.

"My little Princess is becoming a Queen, I'm so proud of her! Soon she'll build her own little nest and have a hive of her own to take care of." she hugged Plagg, who looked uncomfortable, not letting go of his cheese.

"Yeah, uh, about that, you may want to tone it down a bit, Tikki called dibs on her and she's starting to show a lot of Bee." He warned the other kwami, whose emotional display disappeared, the yellow and black kwami crossing her arms mulishly.

"Of course she would show a lot of Bee, I've had her about as long as Tikki did. Don't you think a single moment I don't know what the two of you are doing, that poor Princess needs someone in her corner, and if Tikki won't do it, then I will." Pollen's eyes narrowed at Plagg, who sighed. "No matter how much Tikki likes her, it doesn't change the fact that Marinette Dupain-Cheng should have been  _ mine  _ from the start." She noted regally, with a touch of condemnation in her voice.

"Of all the times for you to get competitive it  _ had  _ to be now..." The cat grumbled and Pollen rolled her eyes.

"Need I remind you of Mullo and you?" The bee was looking at him, utterly unimpressed. "Do pass the message to Tikki when you visit her, Marinette currently is one of my little bees and I will not hesitate to step in if I feel the situation requires it."

"Sheesh...Will do, don't get your antennae in a twist, we got a workaround so the other brat doesn't have to die, just have her sit pretty and be disgusting with him or something, what do you even want with the new Guardian anyways?" Green eyes peered curiously at her. " You don't go Queen often either, what gives?"

"Why, the Order of the Guardians was a flawed institution that eventually failed. Ladybugs and Black cats are wonderful heroes, champions, guardians, but leaders they are not. Seeing as there currently is no structure to support us anymore, I don't see any other option than building it from the ground up." Pollen nibbled on her honey and rose macaron. "That the new guardian was a Ladybug is unfortunate, but I like to think I'm making progress with her, thankfully I got her young enough before Tikki's teachings had time to fully crystallize." She finished decisively and the cat repressed a groan.

Pollen and Tikki, for all that they had very similar traits and qualities, and for all that they tended to fight over their chosen because of similar tastes, couldn't be different in their handling of their kids and would more often than not argue about it. Having them both active at the same time was exhausting, because  _ for some reason _ , Plagg ended stuck in the middle. Every. Single.  _ Time _ . Why couldn't they go bother Longg? He was the kwami of Perfection, if anyone could point out how the opponent's argumentation was flawed, it was  _ him _ ! 

Plagg looked at his cheese and sighed. Good old camembert. Silent, uncomplicated, delicious, what else could he ever ask for?

  
  


* * *

  
  


"They won't come for lunch." Juleka declared solemnly at the table. Rose looked curious, then blushed.

"Oh my." she said, toying with her food with her fork. "Good for them, I think Marinette was about to murder someone when a bathtub fell from the ceiling the last time she tried to breach the issue."

Kagami just stayed silent as Luka ate happily next to her, his hand over hers under the table, while Chloe....

"I'll ungag you if you promise to stop screaming about how much you want to murder Agreste." Juleka said. The blonde just glared. "... We'll go interrogate the men in your Chloecave afterwards?" She hesitated now. "We'll go bully Nino after that?" Nearly there... "...And we'll continue hunting Alya down." Aaaaaand Chloe was sold.

  
  


* * *

  
  


December 20th, two days after that night, saw Marinette take a vacation day from her superhero activities. More accurately, Pollen bullied her into taking a break, but the point stood. She currently was in the kitchen, helping her mother cook lunch. It did take her mind off what had been going on between Adrien and Felix. THere was something important she was forgetting, but she didn’t know what...

"So... Did you remember to use protection?" Sabine Chen said, laughing when Marinette squeaked, tripped over her feet and fell on her bottom.

"Mom!" The girl looked utterly scandalized, to which the older woman answered with a roll of her eyes and a rather dry reply.

"Honey, I'm your mother, if I didn't know about any of this, you wouldn't be born." She said patronizingly.

"That doesn't mean I want the mental image of Dad and you going at it!" Her daughter got up, huffing and dusting herself.

"You will have to excuse a mother for worrying, while Tom and I agreed on a hands off education when it comes to you because of how it went with his own father, that doesn't mean we are completely blind, you know?" She chastised Marinette lightly as she stirred the broth. "We already weren't sure when you sat us down and told us about Lady Papillon, and after Multimouse, we were just about ready to confiscate your box." 

"I'm glad you didn't." Marinette pointedly did not say that she never told her mother its real hiding spot. "I know I asked for a lot of trust here..."

"Nonsense. As I said, hands off education. We won't help you back up when you trip and skin your knee, because we trust you to get back up on your own. Had there been permanent damage however, that would be an entirely different story." The woman looked seriously at Marinette, who also decided not to mention the fact that there was permanent damage here.

"Also... I'm sorry for what happened to the bakery." Sabine waved off the apology.

"Don't be. We are insured, this isn't your fault, and I've never seen Gina and Tom have so much fun for a long time." Marinette's brain screeched to a halt.

"Wh-What?" She asked hesitantly, and her mother just smiled mysteriously.

  
  


* * *

  
  


There was somebody knocking at Nino's door.

Now, that wasn't entirely uncommon, after all, Adrien visited from time to time, but the problem here was that considering the timing, he had a sinking suspicion that it wasn't the sunny blond teen, but another type of blond haired person he really didn't want to deal with after his latest stakeout.

"Nino, I know you're here, come out or Chloe will try her 'diplomacy' again." Juleka's lazy voice rang through the door and the young man sighed.

This was going to be one of  _ those  _ days, wasn't it?

He reluctantly approached, trying not to trip over a map that fell from his table, and opened the door slowly. Juleka had cut her hair, he realized. She was now sporting an asymmetric bob cut with her longest bangs dyed violet, under a black fedora with a violet band. around her neck, she has a black choker with a small silvery medallion, a violet bustier top under a black three quarters sleeve jacket that revealed her belly piercing and the rose tattoo on her hip, dark grey jeans with a leather bent that had a skull buckle, almost entirely covered by her black thigh high boots.

"You cut your hair." Ne noted and the goth rolled her eyes, a thin smile finding its way on her violet lips.

"Some of it got stuck in the Chloemobile's door and got damaged." She explained and the other nodded. This was good enough for him.

"So, not that I'm unhappy to have you here dudette, but I kinda wanna crash, so if you could..." He tried, and Juleka raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, I thought not. Gonna assume it's about Alya?"

"Mhm." The dark clothed teen hummed in agreement. "I'd like your opinion on the situation. And your data. Chloe is about to send movers and move all your things to the cave." She noted airily and he grimaced.

"Never should have given Adrien the idea of buying lottery tickets..." he sighed "Not much to say about her that wasn't already said, to be honest. When forced to choose between Mari and LIla, she chose Lila, and gradually, things turned that way and by then, Alya was too deep in it and refused to admit she was wrong, so she doubled down. Now Lila and her are criminals and their families moved away and I'm sure that's doing wonders to her sanity." He rubbed his forehead and Juleka tilted her head.

"Oh, you don't know?" She looked surprised at that and Nino had a bad feeling about it.

"What?" He asked, and Juleka fished a photograph from her bag that had Nino pale dramatically. 

"Lila is dead and we have a serial killer on our hands. That's why I told you to put your things in order, you don't have much time left." The woman looked at him as he seemed to age by the second. On one hand, she felt bad for her classmate because they were something like friends. On the other, even if she didn't remember the details, he was part of the group that murdered her brother once already and so refused to coddle him.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Felix was sitting at his desk, in a previously empty, refurbished room that would serve as his office. He closed his eyes, counted to ten, then opened them and looked at a sheepish Adrien.

"What do you mean, 'Nathalie disappeared'?" He asked flatly, and the younger blond winced.

"She disappeared during the assault and hasn't been seen since then?" He answered, and Felix nodded. 

"Well then, I suppose I have to find a replacement secretary." He groaned at that, throwing a tired glance at his younger brother. "I'm assuming you want to retire as a model?" He asked and Adrien nodded very quickly. "And am I also right in assuming you don't intend to become my assistant?" Adrien shook his head very fast, stepping away as if Felix had threatened to bite him.

  
_ Great _ . Sometimes, he wondered if he shouldn't just let the Gabriel brand just crash and burn, just to get rid of the paperwork once and for all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * very fake gasping * a relationship built on mutual respect and communication? In *my* MLB fanfiction? HERESY, I SAY!
> 
> This chapter may send the adrnette shippers into a rage, but I honestly believe that Marinette's 'boy-crazy' actions were NOT OKAY, and I also believe that some stuff that Adrien did was NOT OKAY either, regardless of either of those two's circumstances, and it ended up as being NOT OKAY together, hence this. Idk if it counts as salt or anything... 
> 
> Pollen be BIG on self-love and is currently drilling it in Marinette's skull. It doesn't really help her grow as the ideal Ladybug (makes her lean a bit too much towards the self-indulgent side of the Force), but it DOES help with her therapy. Also, I found it funny to have a Tikki/Queen Pollen rivalry over who gets which Chosen, considering non-vengeful!Tikki's attitude is relatively close to what I imagine an assertive Pollen's would be. Or, you know, canon Marinette versus Chloe parallels. 
> 
> Sabine appears, does her mom thing.
> 
> Oh and, uhhh, yeah, expect some Chloe and Juleka next chapter.
> 
> (...Yes, Adrien is super lucky at lotteries and funded Chloe's batcave.)


End file.
